Oh, these wonderful days of summer. The weather is warm, the days are long. There's plenty of time for kids and families to get out of the house and enjoy themselves.
Unfortunately, the summer months are busy ones at the Alberta Children's Hospital Emergency Department. Much of the action is the treatment of injuries that result from summer recreational activities. Too often, these injuries are serious. The majority of these injuries are preventable.
Below are some of the best strategies for keeping yourself and your child safe while having fun this summer. The tips are effective at preventing injuries associated with common summer activities. If everyone in Calgary followed these tips, we would see far fewer children at the Alberta Children's Hospital Emergency Department during June, July and August.
Traffic Safety: Traffic injuries are the leading cause of death and a major factor in the hospitalization of children under 14 in Alberta. Many of these injuries result from children falling off bikes, getting hit by vehicles or being passengers in vehicles involved in collisions.
Biking: Two words for safety: helmets and lessons. Bike helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of brain injury by 85 percent. Today, helmets are attractive, comfortable, lightweight, cool and reasonably priced. It's one measure of summer protection that is a must for kids and adults. Kids and adults need to learn how to ride their bikes safely, and the best person to teach them is a CAN-BIKE certified instructor. Information on bike lessons offered through CAN-BIKE is available from the Calgary Area Outdoor Council (C.A.O.C) at 270-2262.
Pedestrian Safety: Pedestrian injuries are a serious concern for parents. A car is no match for a small child. Children under 9 should always be accompanied by adults or older children when crossing the street. Children must be taught to look left, right and left again before stepping out into the street. They should not proceed until there are no oncoming cars in either direction.
Child Safety Seat: By law, all children under 40 pounds must be correctly restrained in a child-safety seat while riding in any vehicle. To make sure your child is restrained correctly. Call your local public health office for the clinic in your area.
In-Line Skating: This activity has increased in popularity tremendously over the last five years. Many injuries are associated with in-line skating. The most severe is brain injury or death; the most common is a broken wrist or arm. The same helmet that you use for biking will protect your head while in-line skating. Wrist guards are designed to support the wrist and lower arm during a fall and can help prevent broken bones. Elbow pads and kneepads are also recommended. Take lessons to learn how to stop, turn and fall safely.
Playground Safety: Most playground injuries result from a fall onto an unsafe surface. Playground safety includes the following key points: Ensure that there is at least a 9- to 12-inch depth of impact-absorbing surface, such as sand or pea gravel, under and around all play equipment. Remove all drawstrings from children's clothing. Drawstrings cause strangulation when they get caught in gaps in the equipment. Supervise all young children closely and carefully. Kids between 5 and 9 years of age are injured most frequently, so make sure they know the rules of safe play. Slide down feet first, sitting up, one at a time. No pushing or horseplay on the equipment. Hold on with both hands when swinging and climbing. Always wear shoes.
Trampolines: Many serious injuries have resulted from the use of trampolines; controversy exists over whether trampolines should be used at all. The Canadian Pediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics both view the trampoline as a potentially dangerous piece of equipment and recommend that it NEVER be used in home or recreational settings.
Carol is the SAFE KIDS coordinator at the Alberta Children's Hospital.
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