|
|
|
The Parent Times>
The Parent Times
July 1, 2009
SUMMER SAFETY
Summer is one of the best seasons for outdoor activities especially for children. The most popular activities for children are biking, playing at the playground, walking and swimming. These activities are not without risks. Safety experts estimate that 1,800 children will be seriously injured this June through August, and approximately 50 will die.
BIKE SAFETY
The most serious injuries and deaths are caused by head injuries. One way we can reduce the risk of head injuries is to make sure our children wear a helmet while riding their bike. Bike helmets can reduce the risk of head injuries by up to 85%. Your child’s helmet should be:
1. level on their head;
2. only be able to put one finger between the strap and your
child's chin; and
3. when your child shakes their head the helmet should not
move around.
Riding a bike and remembering all of the rules on the road are a lot for a child to remember. Experts and research show that children under the age of 9 cannot juggle that much information at one time such as balancing on their bike, using their brakes, watching for cars, watching for stop signs and streetlights, watching for parked cars, etc. Children under the age of 9 also cannot make good decisions about traffic. Their perception and beliefs are not accurate. For example, a lot of children believe that if they see the car, then the car must see them which we know is not always true. On the other hand, older children and teens can be too confident. They can see that a car is coming but believe that they have enough time to cross in front of the car rather than just wait for the car to pass first. The key is to start to teach your kids at an early age about the rules of the road because we all know the saying, practice makes perfect.
PLAYGROUND SAFETY
This activity is very popular for children not only in the summer but throughout the year. All kids love to explore and play at different playgrounds. Us as parents can keep our children a bit more safe by choosing safer playgrounds. The most common injuries occur when children fall from high equipment and land onto a hard surface. Try to choose playgrounds that have a deep soft surface such as woodchips, sand, pea gravel or some sort of rubber material. Also remember to always remove any drawstrings from your child’s clothing and remove their bike helmets prior to them playing as these strings or straps can become tangled in the playground equipment and thus lead to injury. Children have also been strangled by skipping ropes and such that have been tied to the equipment so watch out for that as well. Playgrounds are a wonderful way for our children to get exercise as well as make new friends and use their imagination but as parents we have to remember that there are always dangers to watch out for.
WALK SAFETY
What child does not like to go for a walk and explore new trails, paths and parks. Even routes that are taken a dozen times are exciting for children who always seem to find something new. This is a great time to teach your children about basic road safety. Every time you come to a street corner, instead of you telling your child that it is safe to cross, have your child tell you if they think it is safe to cross and ask them why. You can also ask them to show you where the cars can come from. This will encourage them to look all ways instead of just usually to the left and right. This teaching method allows you to praise them when they have done a good job and also to correct their mistakes allowing them to learn from their mistakes. It allows your child to feel like they are participating and we all know that children love to help and participate in any activity or lesson. Don’t forget to also teach your children to look for cars coming out of driveways and alleyways. These are often forgotten.
As for parents, we must always make sure that drivers not only see us but that they see our children. This is especially important when we are pulling a wagon or something like that. A lot of drivers see us but do not see the wagon we are pulling because it is lower than their vehicle. In these instances always make sure that you bring the wagon next to you or have another adult walk beside the wagon to ensure the driver sees it. Always make eye contact with the driver prior to crossing the roadway.
Lastly, always teach your child to cross the street at marked crosswalks or intersections. All of these basic road rules you can begin to teach your children at a young age. Repetition is a great way to teach your child safety rules. It is never too early!
POOL SAFETY
All children love to splash and have fun in the water! Children under the age of 5 are at the highest risk of injury and drownings. Most drownings occur when children are playing near water. Children can quickly and quietly get into water before parents know what happened. All it takes is a second for your child to have gotten or fallen into the water. This is why ALL children should always wear a left jacket. Even older children should wear a life jacket as the most likely reason they drown is that they do not understand the risks associated with other types of waters such as lakes and rivers as they usually only swim in pools which don’t have currents, rocks and other dangers. Life jackets fit children according to their weight. The smallest life jacket I have seen for sale is for babies who weigh at least 9 pounds.
There are also pool safety devices that your child can wear. These systems are sort of like your baby monitor in a sense. The parents have a base and the child wears usually a bracelet or something that clips to their clothing. As soon as these devices are touched by water, the alarm sounds off on the base. These are a great idea not only for people who own pools but for taking with you on holidays. We will be carrying these devices shortly so check back often to our website.
Lastly, people who do have pools at their home and children, it is recommended that you have a four sided fence that surrounds the pool that is at least 4 feet high and has a childproof self latching gate.
So in conclusion have a GREAT, FANTASTIC and SAFE summer with your children and remember that it is never too late to start to teach your children safety rules.
Please note that all tips are offered as suggestions only. While we have tried to provide you with some suggestions to help parents keep their kids safe this summer, unfortunately we cannot think of everything and it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children’s safety.
Check us out on facebook and twitter for regular updates. Links to both of these sites will be posted on our website shortly.
Erin Johnston
Child Safety Professionals
|
|
