Summer Safety Reminders to Protect Your Kids
By Sandy Schroeder
Fall may be right around the corner, but there is still a lot of summer to play through. Keep your kids safe as vacations, fairs, and weekend pool parties roll ahead. Be prepared with tips like these from Harvard Health.
Water basics – Make sure your kids are good swimmers and always supervised while they are in the water. Keep home pools fenced and separated from the house with self-locking gates. Invest in more swim classes if your kids need them.
Sun and bug watch – Whenever your kids are outside, use sunscreen to block UVA and UVB rays. Choose water-resistant, SPF30 sunscreen. Reapply after swimming. Use insect repellent to protect against Zika, West Nile virus, and ticks. Check with your physician for the best repellents and amounts to use for the age of the child.
Dehydration risk – Make sure everyone gets enough water, choosing water over sodas, sports or sugary drinks. Carry extra water for hikes and all day events.
Heat exhaustion – As practices start for fall sports, watch out for kids playing in summer heat. Monitor practices and reschedule when the temps are high.
Picnic problems – Toting food to the park or camping out raises the risk for spoiled food. Keep everything wrapped and chilled and discard left over mayonnaise-based foods such as potato salad, dips or egg salad.
Travel tips – Flying or driving puts added stress on the body. Make sure your kids wear comfortable clothes and have time to move about in between flights, or at rest stops on the road. Keep all backpacks at 10 percent of body weight with double padded straps.
Safety headgear – Make sure your child has the right helmet for biking, sports, scooters or football. Check the
Consumer Product Safety Commission site if you are in doubt.
Lawn and garden safety – Young children should be inside when mowing is done. Children should be 12 or older before using a push mower, and 16 before riding a mower. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and eye protection. When gardening with children keep dangerous tools such as shears out of reach. Enjoy the moment as they plant their first seeds, or pick a homegrown tomato, but never leave younger ones unsupervised in garden areas.
Crowd safety tips – Talk with your kids about what to do if they are separated from you in a crowd. Point out staff or policemen to ask for help. Consider having them wear a whistle, carry a cell phone, and wear a bright color or hat that’s easy to spot. Bracelets with ID information work too.
Enjoy the rest of summer knowing you have done your homework to keep your kids safe.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Chula Vista, Calif.