BATON ROUGE — It is the time of year when kids are outdoors playing, practicing sports and attending camps.

Rising temperatures can put them at risk.

“It's hard for your body to actually sweat out that heat and to get rid of it, so you're at much higher risk of heat-related problems,” Dr. Ashley Brouillette of pediatric sports medicine said.

Doctors say it is essential to keep kids hydrated this time of year before, during, and after activities. Plenty of water is recommended if they are going to be outside for an hour or less.

Any more than that, you may want to supplement with a sports drink.

"Then also being mindful of what time of day we're doing activities. So doing things earlier in the morning, later at night, having shady breaks, things like that are gonna be really important for monitoring long term," Dr. Brouillette said.

Before sending a child to play sports in the heat for hours, you may want to help them acclimate in shorter periods. The right close can also help with light layers and light colors.