Health & Safety

Make fluids readily available at games and practices, pay extra attention to hydration in high heat and humidity, and have an action plan in place if heat illness suspected, says Dr. Jim MacDonald, a pediatric sports medicine physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The consensus of experts is that any tasty drink works for sports hydration unless it is forbidden (e.g. energy drinks, coffee or tea), including room temperature or ice water, or sports drinks, says Dr. Jim MacDonald, a pediatric sports medicine physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The younger a child is the less likely they are to drink to thirst, says pediatric sports medicine doctor, Jim MacDonald of Nationwide Children's Hospital. Urine color gives parents a good idea of their hydration status.

The three keys to minimizing overuse injuries, says a pediatric sports medicine doctor, are to let kids play without adult supervision, make sure they get in shape before sports season, and get rest and a break from sports.

It is important for parents to ask the doctor doing their child's pre-participation physical exam (PPE) is they can know and can articulate how it its different from a regular physical, says James MacDonald, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Family Medicine, The Ohio State University, Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. If the doctor isn't familiar with the PPE monograph, parents should consider having the PPE done by a different doctor.

While bullying by a sports teammate would appear to be peer-on-peer, it still is usually the result of a perceived imbalance of power found in all bullying.

Parents need to be pro-active in stopping bullying of their child by a teammate or coach because of the emotional damage it can cause, including depression and even suicide, says Sophia Grant, M.D. , F.A.A.P, of Cook Children's Medical Center in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Abuse in youth sports is surprisingly common, says Sophia Grant, M.D., of Cook Children's Hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas, with nearly half of athletes reporting suffering some form of emotional abuse playing sports, such as name calling or yelling by fans, coaches, or parents, playing sports.