Summertime Injuries and Safety Tips for Kids

August is quickly approaching and many kids are relishing every minute before their return to school. This means a whole new round of summertime accidents in pools and on bikes and playgrounds. Here are a few tips to help you prevent serious injuries to the young ones in your life.

Did You Know?

• Between 2001 and 2008, an average of 218,851 preschool and elementary-aged children were treated at emergency rooms for playground equipment injuries. (Injury Research, National Program for Playground Safety)
• Four-sided fencing around pools decreases the risk of childhood drowning by 83 percent, as opposed to a three-sided fence with the fourth side formed by the home. (Unintentional Drowning: Fact Sheet, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Every two minutes, a child is treated in an emergency department for an unintentional cycle-related injury. (Bicycle, Skate and Skateboard Safety Fact Sheet, Safe Kids USA)

I recently shared some swimming pool safety measures that help prevent drownings. Here are some additional steps you can take to ensure that the children in your life enjoy their favorite summertime activities – swimming, riding and playing – safely:

• Stock rescue equipment by the pool like life preservers and a shepherd’s crook.
• Encourage swimming lessons. Local recreational departments begin teaching children as young as 6-months how to float.
• When riding bikes, ensure their helmets fits properly, and adjust their bike seat appropriately.
• Remember to follow all traffic laws. The driver is not always the one at fought when accidents occur with pedestrians or bicyclists.
• Install age-appropriate playgrounds. Not all backyard jungle gyms are good for young toddlers. And, look for soft ground. A fresh layer of wood chips, rubber, sand or other shock-absorbing material can dramatically decrease the risk of injury due to a fall from the equipment.

Read more about these wonderful tips as well other keys to summertime safety in our latest email newsletter. And, if you’d like to subscribe to receive these monthly, we invite you to do so here.

Have you or one of your children encountered a pool, playground or bike injury? Are there other tips to help eliminate summertime injuries? Let us know what you think.