While summer is thought of as a time for relaxation and vacations, it is also the most deadly time for children 0-14, as nearly 3 million children will be rushed to emergency rooms during May through August for unintentional injuries.  To keep your children safe this summer you need to keep these safety tips in mind:

• Actively supervise your child when engaging in summertime activities, such as swimming and playing on playgrounds and backyards.
• Use the appropriate safety gear when your child is participating in summer activities.  Such as helmets when biking, a car seat when traveling in a motor vehicle, and life jackets when in or near open bodies of water.
• If you have a pool or a spa, it should be surrounded on all four sides by a fence at least four feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates, and it should be equipped with an anti-entrapment drain cover and safety vacuum release system. An inflatable pool needs to be surrounded by a fence, just like any other pool, and parents need to empty these pools when not in use.
• Make sure your home playground is safe. Keep 12 inches safe surfacing, such as mulch, shredded rubber or fine sand, extending at least six feet in all directions around the equipment. Remove hood and neck drawstrings from your child’s clothing.
• Keep children away from the grill area while preheating and cooking, and while the grill is cooling.
• Remove potential poisons from your yard, including poisonous plants, pesticides and pool chemicals.
• Walk all the way around a parked vehicle to check for children before entering a car and starting the motor.  Don’t let children play in driveways, streets, parking lots or unfenced yards adjacent to busy streets.
• Apply sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher to your child’s exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes before going out, and reapply frequently.
• Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. A child who seems tired or achy should rest in the shade or go inside for a while. Get immediate medical help any time a child’s skin is hot to the touch (with or without perspiration), if a child has a seizure, or if they become disoriented in hot weather.

Following these simple tips will keep your kids away from danger this summer, which means more time for fun for the entire family!

by:  Kristin Wedding, Safe Kids Coordinator

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