In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Prashant Moralwar, Consultant Pediatrician at Motherhood Hospital in Kharghar, recommended that parents should follow these vital measures and help your child enjoy Holi –
1. Do not use synthetic colours: Synthetic colours are cheaper and easily available. It is a known fact that they contain harmful chemicals like mercury, lead, and aluminum bromide that can invite skin and eye allergies and infections. Parents should ensure that they buy organic or herbal colours for their children like sandalwood, henna and turmeric. Remember that synthetic colours are harmful and cannot be ingested as they can lead to serious diseases.
2. Ensure the child wears glasses: The colour particles can enter the eye leading to redness, burning sensation, inflammation and watery eyes. There can be eye irritation and vision loss in serious cases. It is the need of the hour to protect the child’s eye with the help of a glasses.
3. The child should dress appropriately: See to it that the child wears full-sleeved clothes as this reduces the chances of skin allergies. It will be imperative for the parents to apply moisturizers or oil on the child’s skin because it forms a protective layer and will not allow the colour to stick to the body. They can also be protected by applying oils. Doing so can lower the chances of skin allergies and rashes.
4. Keep an eye on the child: As parents, you are required to monitor your child’s movements. Try to make sure that the eyes, ears, and nostrils are, especially while splashing or spraying watercolours. Don’t allow the child to splash colours on strangers, the elderly, stray dogs and other domestic animals.