BATON ROUGE — Getting regular exercise can help a child grow strong and reduce the risk of certain diseases.

But those with heart conditions should talk to their doctor about any concerns.

"Some of our patients have very minor heart conditions, which shouldn't affect their participation in sports whatsoever. Some of our kids have very complex heart conditions where maybe they can still play sports, but they need some extra safety nets in place,” Dr. Robert Whitehill, a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said.

Whitehill says to come up with a safety plan with your child's doctor, starting with what physical activity may be best suited for the child.

Next, make it happen. That may include changes in medications, stress testing, or maybe a heart rhythm monitor. Then, talk to coaches or camp leaders to make sure there's an emergency action protocol in place, including CPR training and having an automatic external defibrillator close by to wherever the child is being active.

"We want to make sure that there is a practiced plan for how to use it,” Whitehill said.

Finally, he says everyone should know the warning signs to watch for during physical activity, exercise, which include the child having trouble breathing, their heart racing, and it is not slowing down with rest and fainting or near fainting.

"And then fainting or near fainting are very important red flags that would say, hey, maybe we're doing too much, or maybe we need to stop what we're doing, rest, get evaluated and reassess what sports we're a part of,” Whitehill said.