Poison Ivy &Kids

Do any in-depth reading about poison ivy and kindred plants, and you may be tempted never to take your family into the woods again.

There's good reason for alarm. Culprits like poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are extremely common. What's more, about 85 percent of the population is allergic, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Add to this the fact that kids love to romp and roll in the woods, and you've definitely got trouble on your hands-and elbows, legs, etc.

Fear not! By arming yourself and your kids with knowledge and caution and a some helpful lotion and cleansers, you can lower the odds that anyone in your family will have to deal with these resulting nasty rashes.

Itching for the Facts

Chances are, you've had your own bout with poison ivy at one time or another. I vividly remember my first and worst experience, when I was six, which resulted in a doctor's visit and shots.Here's a refresher course:

The leaves of poison ivy, oak, and sumac contain an oily ingredient called urushiol that can provoke an allergic reaction. Although the oil is inside the plant, it escapes easily. Just the wind or a small chewing insect is enough to release urushiol from the plant.

You or your child don't have to touch poison ivy to get the rash. Urushiol transfers easily from one object to another, so you can pick up the oil by touching oil that has rubbed off on pets, clothes, balls, garden tools, or another person. (Note, however, that the rash itself is not contagious; only the oil causes the rash.) To make matters worse, urushiol can remain active for years on objects such as a coat that hasn't been washed.

Just inhaling the smoke from one of these poisonous Toxicodendron plants (say that three times fast!) can cause a rash or lung irritation. You don't want to collect poison ivy vines along with your campfire wood.

Urushiol can be present in dead and decaying plants, so watch out, even in winter.

A rash (redness and swelling, then blisters and itching) doesn't appear immediately; it generally surfaces 12 to 48 hours after exposure. It is usually at its worst after five days and disappears in 14 to 20 days with or without treatment.

Shielding Your Kids

An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure, or, in this case, days of itching and misery. Here are some strategies to help your brood avoid the problem:

Teach your children to recognize poison ivy and its cousins. Tell them the old saying, "Leaves of three, let them be." Show them pictures and illustrations of the culprits, such as those in Urban Wildlife: Peterson First Guides by Sarah B. Landry (Houghton Mifflin). Show them poison ivy each time you hike; you may have some in your yard or on a nearby road. Have identification contests as you explore new areas (identify by pointing, not touching, of course!).

Teach your kids to stay on the trail and not wander off into the brush. This will not only help keep them safe, but preserve the forest as well.

Remind kids never to use unidentified leaves as toilet paper!