Welcome spring and summer! Bye-bye colds and flu. It’s time for spring cleaning and that includes not only your homes but time to make sure you are getting your family’s health in order as well. Dental care is often overlooked or forgotten, but it’s time to get back in for that dental visit if this has slipped your attention. Pediatric and Adult Dental services are available at CHAS. Dental services are important because living in the Spokane area provides many challenges for dental care as our community does not have much, if any, fluoride in our water systems and wells. The current guidelines are for supplemental fluoride for children from 6 months old up to 16 years old. If you have run out of fluoride or forgot to get it at your last medical or dental visit please give us a call so we can make sure we are protecting your children’s teeth as best as possible.
It’s also time to dig out those old immunization records along with that house cleaning and make sure your children are up to date on all of their immunizations for the year. If you are not sure please give us a call so we can help you figure out what may be needed.
With the Sunshine returning to our area it’s time to think about sunburns and protecting our skin and our children from sunburns and potential skin cancer later in life. A light and breathable layer of clothing plus a hat is a great physical barrier, and is a better sun blocker than liquid sun block as it provides the right protection for your infant as well as for any family member. When wearing less than full coverage; a good sun block with both UVA and UVB provides the most protection. The American Academy of Pediatrics Recommends a SPF level of at least 35 for all children, but remember that sun block can wear off with sweat or with water. Remember to reapply sun block as needed to avoid that summer burn.
Also, along with spring cleaning it’s time to find that old book you haven’t read in a while. New books are always nice but search for that old favorite too. Remember to read to your children daily or better yet, have them read to you when old enough. Help them to read their old favorites to continue that love for reading and make sure they have books to read for their Spring and Summer breaks. The library is always a good place to find new favorites and it doesn’t cost you anything. So get out there and read and explore new worlds, you’ll be glad you did.