Childproof Your Summer: Medications at Camp
Keep your kids safe without spoiling summer fun:
10. Don't just stop the meds. Some families consider summer camp to be an ideal setting in which to test going off Ritalin or an antidepressant. But taking a holiday from psychotropic drugs is a bad idea unless the doctor has OK'd it, says Edward Walton, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan and lead author of camp health guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Often, parents don't even tell the camp a child's diagnosis, he says. Because kids at camp are engaging in often-challenging activities, Walton says, they need to be as on top of their game as at any other time of year.
Regulations regarding the administration of prescriptions at camp differ from state to state. But camps accredited by the American Camp Association typically have their own standards for careful dispensation and undergo yearly evaluation.
Some camps, too, offer parents the option of using a medication-packaging company. For a fee of $40 to $50, for example, CampMeds (www.campmeds.com) prepackages campers' medications into clearly labeled daily dosages and delivers the medications to the camp.
Other ways to childproof your summer:
1. Wakeboarding • 2. Trampolines • 3. Sunscreen • 4. Drowning • 5. Internet Safety • 6. Exercise• 7. Vaccines • 8. Bug Spray • 9. All-Terrain Vehicles • 10. Medications at Camp • 11. Hydration • 12. Amusement-Park Rides
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