Summer Safety Reminders

Stay safe while enjoying your summer!

Wear helmets when riding bikes and scooters.

Golf carts and ATVs can cause serious injury.  Children should not drive motorized vehicles unless they have a driver’s license.  Passengers should be belted in and closely supervised by an adult, avoiding excess speed, hills, and obstacles.

We continue to see trampoline related injuries, including head and neck injuries, broken bones, lacerations and more.  Injuries often occur when children are doing flips, or more than one child is jumping at a time.  Nets do not prevent injuries.

Water safety

• Eyes on, hands on for all young children always around water.
• Drownings are swift and silent.  They often happen when there are many people around, but no one is really watching.  Or drownings occur when a child slips away from a group and gains unexpected access to the pool. 
• Any water can be a drown hazard:  inflatable backyard pools, water tables, buckets, toilets, pools, ponds, lakes, etc.
• Swimming lessons are recommended for all children aged 3 years and up.  Parents, if you do not know how to swim, please take swim lessons yourself.  For infants and toddlers, swim lessons that focus on parent training for safety and water fun may reduce drowning risk.  Survival swimming classes are not recommended.  Young children do not have the psychomotor skills to swim or understanding to use those skills if they fall into water. 
• No one should ever swim alone!  Always have at least one adult who knows how to swim per child.
• Backyard pools should be enclosed by 4 foot fencing with a self-latching, self-closing gate.  Doors opening onto the pool yard area can allow unexpected access to the pool.  Make sure the fence doesn’t include a door directly from the house.
• Use coast guard approved life jackets when boating or on docks. 

Sun Protection

• Limit sun exposure between 10 am and 4 pm when the suns rays are the hottest.
• Wear SPF clothing, a hat with a brim and sunglasses.
• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen at least SPF 30.  Reapply every 2 hours.
• Most people to do not use enough sunscreen.  Apply liberally and be especially careful to ensure coverage when using spray sunscreen.  Spray on enough so you need to rub it in.
• Physical blocking, mineral sunscreens are better for sensitive skin.  Chemical blocking sunscreen is safe for everyone else!
• For infants under 6 months of age, please avoid direct sun exposure.  Keep baby in the shade and covered.  Use sunscreen on any exposed skin, mineral sunscreen preferred.

Heat injury

• Heat injury poses a serious risk when exercising in the summer.  Make sure kids hydrate prior to outdoor activities and drink cool fluids when outdoors.  A cold wet towel on the head and neck area can promote cooling.  Seek shade during breaks.  If your child experiences overheating with nausea, headache, confusion, dizziness, chills, go to a cool location immediately.  Give cold fluids and cool packs to the skin.    If not improving, seek emergency care.  Do NOT return to play.
• Babies do not cool themselves efficiently.  Be especially careful in hot weather with young children.
• No one should remain in a parked car on a warm day.  Temperatures inside the vehicle can rise to dangerous levels in minutes.

Insect bite prevention

• Mosquitoes and ticks can spread illnesses and cause irritation.  Prevention is key!
• Insect repellants are safe and effective when applied properly.  Look for products containing 10-30% DEET as the most effective and best studied.  Do not use on infants under 2 months of age.  For infants and toddlers, avoid the face and hands.
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus has not been studied in children and Picaridin is not effective against ticks.
• Do a nightly tick check.  It is unlikely that a tick will cause illness if it is removed in 24 hours.

FOURTH OF JULY SAFETY

• Sparklers and poppers can cause burns and eye injuries.
• Leave the fireworks to the professionals!