NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Children are more likely to suffer from hypothermia than adults according to a local doctor.
As the sun and salt worked together, people ventured out into the snow Friday.
Parents made sure to bundle up the kids. The sun can be deceiving, so doctors urge people to not leave skin exposed. Dan Carpenter said, "Hypothermia can do long term damage.”
Dr. Joseph Fusco at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital At Vanderbilt, said children are more susceptible to hypothermia.
"Kids have special risk factors that adults don’t have, the way that their bodies are, they don’t have much fat, they can’t generate heat, so we have to be extra careful," Fusco said.
Water resistant clothes are best for little ones, but not enough layers to make them sweat. "It’s very easy for your internal temperature to drop when you’re wet, it quickly draws the heat away from your body, so if you do get wet, its best to kind of try and go inside and change,” Fusco said.
If kids have numb fingers, it could be frost nip. Wind burn will also go away on its own.
Fusco said, "Thankfully, they can probably manage that stuff at home but warm water, warming things slowly, is definitely important."
As kids enjoy the snow before it melts this weekend, it's important to make sure their temperature doesn't drop too low.
