9 Biggest Summer Risks for Kids to Protect Your Little Ones from ...
By Jan • 13 Comments
By Jan • 13 Comments
Of course there are a lot of summer risks for kids, but these particular ones stand out. While they may seem obvious, sometimes we aren’t thinking at the moment, and that’s when accidents happen. And yes, when most of us were kids there were no bike helmets or knee and elbow pads, but do I dare say things were different back then? The world has sped up, and I think we simply have to be more careful now. Take a look as these summer risks for kids courtesy of Mom.Me. While you may think "everyone knows that," maybe some of us can use a reminder.
This is a big one on this list of summer risks for kids. Maybe I’ve spent too much time watching America’s Funniest Videos and cringing every time I see a trampoline accident video, but honestly these things can be a huge danger to your child. According to Mom.Me, pediatricians estimate an average of 100,000 kids are injured on trampolines every year. Of course, there are ways to be smart about everything, so be watchful as your kids play on a trampoline. Broken bones are no fun!
Helmets please! Maybe it’s hard to get your kids to wear the elbow and knee pads, but insist they wear their helmets. It’s much easier to treat a scraped elbow or a knee with road rash, but head injuries are a completely different story.
This seems like a given, right? Everyone knows to pay special attention while your kids are in a pool. My personal experience was almost drowning as a child while at a pool party with classmates. I now have an irrational fear of drowning and have never learned to swim. Swimming lessons are a must for your kids and the younger the better! My son had lessons, and while he doesn’t get as much practice as I’d like, he knows how to swim. It takes just a few seconds and only a few inches of water for a small child to drown so even while in the blow-up pools, keep a close eye on everyone.
Once again, stress wearing helmets to your kids involved in baseball or softball. Getting hit in the head by an accidental swing of the bat or a wayward baseball can cause serious brain injury.
Like I mentioned, it seems we all should know that play-sets can be dangerous. Parks build them bigger and bigger these days. Look for play areas with mulch, rubber, or sand bases to cushion falls. Our local park has the rubber cushion base around all their playground equipment and it’s great.
I doubt many of us give our kids a pair scissors and tell them to run, but sharp objects aren’t necessarily obvious. Lawn darts were pulled off the market because of the injuries they caused, but don’t forget things like the good old stick, often used to poke at friends. Table edges can cause nice bumps and bruises. Toys with sharps accessories, edges, or perhaps are broken leaving a rough edge can cause cuts. This is another one of those risks to which you have to play close attention because sharp items can be lurking anywhere.
I’m going to quote Mom.Me directly regarding backyard risks. "Just like inside, you need to childproof the outdoor areas your kids play near. Make sure pools are surrounded by secure 4-foot fences and ditches are filled in, and be on the lookout for other potential dangers waiting in the wings. These can be anything. For instance, if the grill [is] still hot after dinner is over, and the kids go back to playing, they can get burned."
Kids will do just about anything, so take no chances with batteries. The button-sized lithium batteries are a choking hazard and if swallowed can cause internal injuries. Even if a battery is fully used, there can still be enough electricity inside to cause a problem.
While fun and different from bikes, scooters and skateboards are another hazard on wheels. Always insist your child wear a helmet while using either. Anything they are going to use on concrete or asphalt, sets them up for a fall, and without a helmet that fall could be life changing.
Basically moms, this is just a list of common sense reminders for all of us. Keep this list in mind, not just for the summer, for all of the time. Are there any other summer hazards you can think of? Please share!
Source: mom.me