It definitely felt like the Fourth of July at the Edgebrook Community Association celebration, with families packing in the shade at Wildwood Park.
“It is hot. We went through the parade and everyone is moving kind of slow, but it was pretty hot,” partygoer Kevin Chan said, as he urged his two sons to drink water.
Health experts insist it’s essential to monitor kids closely for heat stroke, with the temperature near 90 degrees and high humidity.
“If they just seem off to you, if they are complaining of a headache or nausea, things like that, then it's time to get them some extra water or bring them in,” said Dr. Deanna Behrens, a pediatric critical care physician at Advocate Children’s Hospital.
If fireworks are in your future, safety also has to be a property.
“There's about 1,300 admissions to the hospital, or at least trips to the ER, every year for firework-related injuries and about 600 of those are related to sparklers,” Behrens said.
She recommends that families leave the fireworks displays to the experts.
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“You wouldn't give your kid a match or say here play with this flaming candle. So you know it shouldn't be different during the fourth of July season,” Behrens said.
Dawn Secco, a mother of two young girls, agrees.
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“We prefer to watch a professional display to make sure we don’t encounter anything unsafe. We do wander around the neighborhood and just keep a safe distance and usually things work out,” Secco said.
Pools parties are another popular festivity on the Fourth of July.
It’s perfect way to celebrate and cool off, but make sure you have rules in place, like those one family has for the pool in their backyard.
“We have three rules. One, no dunking ever. Two, nobody can be in the pool by themselves and three, always be buddies. If there’s two of you or four of you, you’ve got to be looking out for your buddy at all times,” said Brian Jensen.
Dr. Behrens said having a dedicated water watcher is key, not just for the Fourth of July, but for the entire summer season.
“It's important to have them be free from other distractions, so not on their cell phones or grilling or checking in even for a minute. A minute can cause a tragedy in some of these children,” Behrens said.
