Post-swim soothers MDs swear by
When pool time leaves your little one with itching, pain and other minor symptoms, steal these all-natural remedies that our favorite doctors use when their own kids are suffering
To heal swimmer’s ear DIY drops
“My son has gotten swimmer’s ear many times,” says Ilana Newman, M.D., a family medicine and community health physician in Pembroke Pines, Florida. At the first sign of trouble (usually pain or the sensation of water trapped in his ear), she fills a dropper bottle with equal amounts of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. “Vinegar has antibacterial and antifungal properties and rubbing alcohol displaces water and evaporates it, so it helps dry out the ear canal,” she says. “I have my son lie with his head in my lap while I fill his ear canal with the mixture.” Then she places half a cotton ball in each ear for an hour to keep the solution from spilling out. “This usually works well, especially if you start using it right away and repeat a couple of times day,” says Dr. Newman. “But if symptoms linger past two days, go to the doctor.”
To clear swim congestion An herbal combo
“My son tends to get a runny nose after swimming,” says Allison Bailey, M.D., founder of Integrated Health and Fitness Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The culprit? Pool chemicals, which damage mucous membranes in the nose. To help, Dr. Bailey pours 1⁄2 cup of spring water, 1⁄4 tsp. of sea salt and 15 drops of echinacea tincture into a medicine dropper. Over the sink, she puts 2 drops in each nostril as her son tilts his head up. The saline clears lingering chlorine or allergens and the echinacea helps reduce inflammation, explains Dr. Bailey. The kicker: It all flows into his mouth and he spits it out. “Yes, it’s kind of gross, but he never minds it!”
To soothe itchy eyes Cucumber this way
“After swimming, the kids’ eyes itch and sting,” says dermatologist Rhonda Q. Klein, M.D., a mother of four in Westport, Connecticut. So she flushes their eyes with saline drops, then pulls a cucumber from the freezer. “We use them for smoothies, so I always have one in there. But if you don’t, just put one in for 30 minutes.” Dr. Klein slices the veggie and places a round on each eye for 10 minutes. “The cold is soothing and the cucumber is a healing anti-inflammatory,” she says. “The kids get a kick out of it. It’s like a spa day!”