Encounters That Are Not So Reassuring

Summer and the beach, for our children, is the binomial that equals to liberty and happiness. Let them be free to run and play, after all of the months spent at school, is surely the best thing, even if you have to watch their activities with discretion. The sea water, especially where it is low if the little ones are still not confident, represents a chance of unique fun. The marine habitat though, can expose children to some encounters that are not so reassuring, for example with a jellyfish near the shore, a weever, glass or, in the middle of pebbles, a sea urchin.

Jellyfish are frequently found in Italian beaches. They are marine invertebrates, with tentacles that have spines similar to small darts. When these spines get into contact with a person’s skin, they emit a stinging liquid that provokes a sort of painful burn, and it rashes the skin. If our child is struck, you do not have to apply, as once was said, ammonia or other irritating substances. The struck area must be washed well possibly with warm sea water: this is the best way to ease the pain and the rash. If the struck part stays red, you can ask your paediatrician what to do. It is also possible put easing oils made of aloe and calendula, to favour complete healing. Until the injury has healed it is best to not expose the skin to the sun.

An encounter that is really not reassuring is when you meet sea urchins. This can happen when you swim near rocks, where these little animals live, who are completely harmless though quite spiny. It is a small accident that doesn’t expose to risks but it is quite painful, since the spines can remain wedged under the skin. If this were to happen, it is necessary to take out the spines with tweezers or a needle: both of the instruments must be carefully sterilized. When doing this, it is necessary to be helped by someone that knows how to manage the situation, like a doctor or the emergency room staff. After having made sure that you have completely eliminated all of the spines, the stricken part must be disinfected well. At the end a specific ointment must be used and the part must be bandaged. It is best to not have the injured part leaned on for a few days, at least until it has healed. It can also happen that the delicate skin of children’s feet is injured on a piece of glass or a sharp rock, while walking on the beach or the foreshore. In this case it is sufficient to rinse off the area with a lot of water, to remove the traces of dirt or sand. The injury then must be disinfected with a non alcoholic solution and maybe you can put a layer of cicatrizing ointment to quicken the healing. If the wound is deep and the loss of blood is considerable it is best to go to the emergency room.

These are inconveniences that do not leave consequences on health or the peacefulness of children. If it were to happen, we parents first of all must learn to accept it with philosophy, without making our children undergo useless prohibitions in the fear that they will get hurt again. Our fears could ruin their peacefulness and their right to have fun.

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