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Both parents and doctors know that in Summer kids do not get sick as often as in other seasons. But there are a few seasonal illnesses that interrupt the fun in the sun. So here are some of the hot illnesses of summer.

Coxsackie

This virus usually effects infants and small children, it can occur in older kids and adults as well. Coxsackie comes around every summer and early fall and is responsible for two illnesses.

Herpangina are small painful ulcers on the tonsils, throat, and around the gums. The child may have a high fever with temperatures reaching 104-5 and be very irritable. It's common for babies to drool more than usual, and to refuse a bottle or spooned food.

Hand Foot and Mouth (not Hoof and Mouth) is another illness caused by the coxackie virus. In this case, there are less painful ulcers on the gums and tongue. In addition there may be a pimple like rash on the hands, feet, and buttocks. These can appear as red dots on the palms and soles of the feet. The child may also have a low- grade fever.

Parent tip: Get a flashlight and look at your child's throat. Describe what you see when you call the doctor's office. If you see the ulcers, you can start treatment while waiting for your doctor. If you see white pus, red dots, or a deep red color of the throat, then your child will need to be seen to make sure it is not strep throat or another type of virus.

Swimmers Ear

The moisture that enters the ear canal during swimming can cause a common infection of the outer ear. Unlike the middle ear infection that results from an infection behind the eardrum, "swimmers ear is an infection of the ear canal in front of the drum. These infections are treated with antibiotic drops that need to be prescribed by your doctor. If your child gets this frequently, there are drops available to help prevent recurrences.

Parent tip: To help tell if this is an inner ear infection or a swimmers ear, tug gently o the earlobe. With a swimmers ear it will be painful when you move the earlobe up or down. If there is fever present or drainage from the ear, however, you will need to have your child examined by your doctor.

Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac

These common itchy rashes of summer come from contact with poison ivy, oak or sumac plants. These plants have leaves that produce a gummy sap which causes an allergic reaction in 50% of all children and adults. The reaction is triggered by contact with the leaves, stems, and vines of these plants, or indirectly through contaminated clothing or exposure to the smoke of burning leaves.

A red itchy rash is usually present within 12-48 hours after exposure. Because the reaction may be delayed, it may appear that the rash is spreading when in fact the reaction is just occurring at a later time in that area of the body

Once the exposed area has been thoroughly washed, poison ivy cannot be spread from skin to skin contact. Oozing from blisters will not spread the rash. Neither will bathing or showering. Although poison ivy is not contagious, a sensitive child can develop the allergic rash by touching a piece of clothing or a pet that has had contact with the gummy sap. The oil of the plant can remain active for a period of time on clothing or garden tools. Careful washing will prevent re-exposure.

If the infection is over multiple parts of the body, involves the areas surrounding the mouth or eyes, or if significant swelling has developed especially in the face or groin, call your doctor for other treatment.

Parent tip: If your child has contact with the leaves of these plants, don't wait for the rash. Wash the area thoroughly with mild soap and cool water, then sponge with rubbing alcohol to remove the sap.

About Dr. LoFrumento
Dr. Mary Ann LoFrumento, MD, F.A.A.P., pediatrician, mother and author, has more than 20 years experience answering parents' questions about how to raise their children. After attending Barnard College, where she received her medical degree, and after her pediatric residency at Babies Hospital Columbia Presbyterian, she started Franklin Pediatrics, in Morristown, NJ. For 17 years, she was the managing partner of this group, one of the largest pediatric groups in the state. She recently launched Simply Parenting (www.simplyparenting.com), a book and DVD series designed to end parents' anxiety and insecurity and bring parenting back to basics. The Simply Parenting series includes Understanding Your Newborn & Infant and Understanding Your Toddler. Among her numerous accolades are the selection by her peers as one of the Best Doctors in America from 1996 to 2003, inclusion annually in Castle Connolly's America's Top Doctors and listings in New Jersey Monthly's Top Docs. Previously a Clinical Assistant Professor at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. LoFrumento is currently an educator and attending physician at Goryeb's Children's Hospital in Morristown. Dr. LoFrumento resides in Chatham, New Jersey with her husband and daughter. For more on Dr. LoFrumento and Simply Parenting click on www.childsplaypr.com/cpc-press/index.htm www.childsplaypr.com/cpc-press/index/htm and go to Simply Parenting.

Toddler Skills for Personal Responsibility
by Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

There are three skills that are very important for our little ones to learn early in their lives.

1) Children need to be able to fall asleep on their own. Infants and toddlers who are always rocked to sleep, or breastfed or bottle fed to sleep, learn to depend upon others for falling asleep and do not develop their own falling asleep mechanism. This can cause much distress for parents who go through the nightly nightmare of trying to get their infant or toddler to sleep. Instead of always picking up and rocking a crying little one, which only reinforces the child's dependency on you putting him or her to sleep, try patting the child and then leaving for a few minutes. If you keep coming in, patting your child and reassuring him or her that you are here, eventually your child will stop depending upon you to rock, hold or feed him or her to sleep.

2) Children need to learn very young to play by themselves and amuse themselves. It is not healthy for children to be constantly dependent upon others, or upon the TV, to amuse them. I work with many adults who never learned to "play by themselves." These adults feel lost when they are alone, having no idea what to do with themselves. Instead of turning to creative or learning opportunities, they may participate in addictions such as eating, drinking, drugs, TV, work, spending, and so on. When children learn to play by themselves at a young age, they tend to be more self-sufficient and creative as adult.

3) Children need to learn how to self-nurture. This means that they need to learn how to take some responsibility for their own feelings. Infants often self-soothe with their blanket, thumb, or pacifier. But as they grow older, they need to learn other ways of self-nurturing because they will not be taking their blanket or pacifier to school.

Even children as young as 2 1/2 years old can learn to attend to their own feelings. You can help your young children start to take responsibility for their feelings by giving them a doll or stuffed animal that represents their emotions. You can tell them that the doll or stuffed animal is the baby inside them that has a lot of different emotions. When they are feeling sad or angry, they can learn to talk to the baby inside and find out what that baby needs from them or from you. As they get older, they can learn to connect their thoughts with their feelings. They can learn that if they judge themselves by telling themselves that they are bad or stupid or ugly, they will feel very badly.

It is vitally important for all of us to connect our thoughts with our feelings. Most of us grew up believing that others caused all our good and painful feelings. If someone yelled at us or told us we were bad or stupid or ugly, we certainly felt badly, and if someone approved of us, we felt good. So we learned to believe that all our feelings are being caused by others. It is important for children to learn that their feelings are also affected by what they tell themselves and how they treat themselves. For example, if an older brother tells his younger brother that he is stupid, the younger child might start to tell himself he is stupid, without realizing that he is causing himself to feel very badly. By talking with his "baby", he might realize he is treating himself in a way that is hurting him. He also might also be able to understand that his brother is not telling him the truth. The way he can learn to realize this is by learning to access his "Source of Love and Truth."

Small children can easily learn to open to a powerful Source of Love and Truth. You can ask them to imagine a wonderful friend, a guardian angel, or a fairy godmother. It is very easy for most children to imagine a wonderful being who is here to love them and guide them. They can be encouraged to ask questions of this loving being, such as "Is it true that I am stupid?" They can learn to bring through true and loving statements to themselves when they open to learning with their spiritual Guidance.

These skills, learned early in life, will do much to foster personal responsibility in our children.

About the Author
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" and "Healing Your Aloneness." She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: www.innerbonding.com