Kids who go away to overnight camp should return home with new friends, increased confidence and an appreciation for the great outdoors — not a sprained ankle, sunburn or bad case of the blues. Here are a few ways to ensure your child stays healthy, safe and happy all summer long — even if you, mom or dad, are nowhere near the infirmary, head counselor or camp director’s office.
1. Be honest with the camp staff — and on your health forms.
Before sending your kid off to camp, you’ll have to complete a comprehensive health history that will be given to the camp’s medical staff. You might be tempted to list ome conditions — for example, gluten intolerance — but leave out, say, a minor peanut allergy or stigmatized behavioral or psychiatric diagnosis. This is a bad idea, says Caitlin Clever, a former summer program director and cabin leader at an overnight camp in Pennsylvania. Not only might you be preventing staff from anticipating problems, you might also be keeping your child from receiving accommodations that could ease his time at camp.
“We definitely had issues that popped up, particularly with behavioral diagnoses — ADHD, autism — that we didn’t know about until the parents picked up the kids at the end of the week,” Clever says. “I can completely understand why a parent might not want to disclose a diagnosis, but parents can still offer insight to help the week go smoothly … Let us know what to look for and the best way to help.”
The more detailed you are about your child’s health, the better the medical staff will be able to cater to her needs. No matter how embarrassing or minor an allergy, food sensitivity, psychiatric diagnosis or behavioral condition might be, make sure it’s fully communicated to the camp’s administration.
2. Vaccinate your kids.
Most camps require proof of immunization, but there are always exceptions, which can prove problematic. “When a population gets below a critical number of people that aren’t immunized — somewhere around 90 percent — then you’re at risk for having outbreaks of disease that were previously prevented because of something called herd immunity,” says Dr. Edward Walton, a pediatrician and member of the American Camp Association, a nonprofit that sets health and safety standards for summer camps nationwide. Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children be fully immunized before going to camp.
3. If your kid’s sick, keep him or her at home.
Five to 7 percent of illnesses found at camps actually start before the child even gets there — meaning kids arrive while they’re already sick, according to the Healthy Camp Study Impact Report, a five-year injury and illness surveillance study recently conducted by the American Camp Association. While these bugs often last only a few days, having your child show up at camp while he is still contagious can put everyone else at risk. If your child falls ill right before welcome day, make arrangements with the camp to delay his start date, Walton says.
And keep an eye out for less visible conditions, like lice. Many camps will send your kid home on the first day if he or she arrives with lice — no ifs, ands or buts, says Linda Garrettson, a former camp director who oversaw sites in both Maryland and Virginia. It’s important to make sure the lice are gone and all bedding and clothing is washed before your child hits the bunks.
4. Pack proper clothing.
According to the Healthy Camp Study Impact Report, sprained or strained ankles are the most common camp injuries. They’re usually the result of a slip, trip or fall — accidents that could have been prevented if the child had been wearing closed-toed shoes with a good rubber sole. So make sure to pack sneakers or hiking sandals. Flip-flops and other summer sandals are fine poolside, but they don’t hold up as well on the soccer field.
And even though it’s summer, tell kids to wear light-colored, lightweight pants tucked into socks while hiking. That way, they can easily spot any ticks that crawl onto them — and provide a barrier between the insects and their skin, Garrettson says. This simple precaution can help kids avoid Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick-borne illnesses.
5. Get your kids in shape.
Unless your kid’s an athlete, there’s a good chance he or she spends more time in front of a computer or television screen than on a hiking trail. And if your kid is out of shape, it might be hard to enjoy camp activities such as swimming or capture the flag, Garrettson says. So before your child goes to camp, engage her in cardiovascular activities that build endurance and strength. That way, when she arrives at camp, she’ll spend less time on the sidelines and more time having fun.
6. Teach self-advocacy and care.
While at camp, it’s important for your child to be able to advocate for his own health and well-being — especially since you won’t be there to do it for him.
“Make sure your child can answer for themselves if someone asks them if they have any medicines or allergies. Role play having to ask for help if they have a tummy ache,” Clever says. “You’d be surprised at how many kids will be too nervous to say they have a tummy ache until they end up throwing up. Or how many will go four days without having a bowel movement because they’re afraid of the latrines when they could use a flush potty at the nurse’s office.”
The same goes for basic hygiene and self-care. According to the Healthy Camp Study Impact Report, the most common communicable illnesses at camps are the common cold, a sore throat or the flu. Passing down healthy hygiene habits to your kids — washing hands frequently and thoroughly, coughing into elbows, avoiding sharing liquid containers or utensils — can keep both them and their peers out of the nurse’s office.
And other teachable tips, such as staying hydrated and applying sunscreen every hour while outdoors, can keep your kid from landing in the infirmary with heat exhaustion.
7. Set your kids up for success.
Is your kid more of a chess whiz than a basketball fanatic? Does he like the woods or prefer city dwelling? Before shipping your kid off to the same camp you attended every summer as a child, or enrolling him in the first specialty summer program that catches your eye, make sure it’s a good fit — both physically and emotionally.
“Parents spend a lot of time looking at camps and thinking about camps, but the first thing they need to focus on is on their kid,” Walton says. “They have to know their child’s strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes and their health status.” So talk to your child and his pediatrician, teachers, coaches or tutors before making a final decision on which camp is best. The more tailored a camp is to a kid’s needs and interests, the happier and healthier he will be. “I like to say that there is a camp for every kid, but not every camp is right for every kid,” Walton says.
8. Be prepared for homesickness.
Between smartphones and Facebook, it’s hard to completely disconnect from home while at camp. Many camps have a “no technology” policy. However, anxious parents often smuggle a cell phone into their child’s luggage — Walton says he’s heard of parents sewing phones into teddy bears — or constantly check in via social media or email. While this kind of behavior is well intended, it can spur or exacerbate homesickness.
Instead of calling or texting your kid every day, try to keep communication to a minimum. And when you do talk, stay cheerful and upbeat, Walton says. Stress how proud you are that they’re on their own, and express confidence in their ability to succeed. And don’t make any “pick-up deals” in which you promise your kids that if they don’t like camp, you’ll come and get them.
9. Get acquainted with the camp staff.
“Everyone will check in with the nurse when they arrive at camp, but make sure to tell your child’s cabin leader and counselors about what time of day they need to get medication, whether they have any allergies or use an inhaler, and whether they have any other medical conditions (or behavioral diagnoses) that might be important to know” about during camp, Clever says. “The nurses usually do a good job of communicating that, but it’s better to hear it straight from the families so that we can ask any questions right away.”
Also, if your child does take medication, make sure you provide an adequate supply to the medical staff and brief them on how it should be taken.
10. Don’t take chances with medication.
Dr. Scott Lea, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston who regularly offers camp health tips to his patients, advises parents not to let their kids go on a “summer break” from ADHD medicine, or switch medications right before camp starts. If a change is necessary, make sure to explain it in advance to camp personnel and the nurse’s office.
11. Be prepared for emotional landmines.
School year stress doesn’t necessarily melt away once summer starts. It can also rear its ugly head during camp. “There are sometimes big things that happened during the child’s school year — say, grandpa’s death back in November — that could just now be affecting your child in June,” Garrettson says. “Or something could happen to trigger an upset. Be ready to let the camp staff know how your kid’s doing emotionally, and whether they might need a little extra support.”
12. Have a backup.
If you’re going on vacation while your kid’s at camp, make sure you have a contingency plan if there’s an emergency, Lea says. If you aren’t going to be around to give a nurse or doctor instructions or specific permissions, designate another contact — a trusted family friend, grandparent or adult sibling who has access to the child’s insurance information — who can take charge. Also, make sure you give the camp the name and contact information of the child’s medical provider, and grant permission for camp staff to speak to them.
13. Relax.
If you’re running worst-case-camp-injury scenarios through your head, rest assured — the Healthy Camp Study Impact Report showed that only 9 percent of injured campers or staff suffer more than one injury during any single incident. Plus, both campers and staff in day and resident camps tend to experience twice as many illness events as injury events. If you do get a phone call from the nurse’s office, it’s most likely going to be because your child has a treatable bug, not a broken leg.
Though serious accidents are unlikely to happen, keep in mind that a few cuts and scrapes are normal — and your child’s way more resilient than you realize. Your anxiety will only make her anxious, so try to relax. Your child’s going to camp, Lea says — a place where she is supposed to test the waters and discover her own autonomy. And part of the process is, well, getting hurt and living to tell the tale.
“Many parents don’t think anything’s going to happen to their kid,” Lea says. “But someone’s going to be hit by a baseball. Someone’s going to fall. Things are going to happen, and that’s part of the camping experience.”
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13 Ways to Help Your Kid Stay Healthy at Overnight Camp originally appeared on usnews.com
