Keeping Our Children Safe

By Janet V. Johnson, MD

Loving Care Pediatrics

More Child Health and Safety Articles

Keeping Our Children Safe

Here are eight things you can do to protect your children from getting injuries:

• Supervise children at all times and intervene when there is inappropriate behavior such as pushing or shoving.
• Make sure playground equipment is age appropriate. Maximum fall height should be five feet for preschool-aged children and seven feet for school aged children.
• Swing seats should be made of plastic or rubber. Metal or wood should be avoided.
• Avoid any equipment that has openings that could entrap a child’s head.
• Make sure you can clearly see your children on the playground.
• Remove tripping hazards such as tree stumps, or rocks.
• Avoid playgrounds with asphalt, concrete, grass, and solid surfaces under the equipment. Look for surfaces of hardwood fiber, mulch chips, pea gravel, fine sand or rubber to a depth of at least nine inches.
• Wear appropriate protective gear during sports activities (for example, shin guards for soccer, a hard-shell helmet for baseball or football, body padding for ice hockey, and helmet when on a bike or skateboarding).

Overall, summertime play for children can be great fun. But it’s important to keep in mind prevention strategies and safety tips.

Pool Safety

Here are five tips for keeping your child safe before heading to the pool this summer, as drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children younger than five in the United States:

• Swim lessons. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports swimming lessons for most children four years and older. The decision to enroll your child in swimming lessons should be based on the child’s developmental readiness.
• Never leave children alone in or near the pool or spa, even for a moment.
• Avoid inflatable swimming aids such as “floaties.”
• Whenever infants or toddlers are in or around water, an adult (preferably one who knows how to swim and perform CPR) should be within arm’s length, providing “touch supervision.”
• Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren’t tempted to reach for them.

Now is the time to plan for family summer activities, many of which may require an annual health visit prior to participation.