Can parents make summer injury-proof?
Once school is out, your kids are ready for summer fun. It is common during this time of year for your children to come home with a few bruises or scrapes after playing outside with their friends or attending summer camps. These small injuries might be easy to treat, but how can parents prevent much more serious injuries this summer?
3 steps for summer safety
Of course, you want to make sure your child stays safe with regard to exposure to the hot weather, meaning they must stay hydrated and wear the proper sun protection. However, there are other measures to consider for general safety as well when your kids are outside playing this summer, including:
- Be aware of the injury risks: As a parent, you must know the most common hazards in order to prepare and protect your child from them. This is not meant to instill fear into your children – or you, for that matter. However, being aware of the risks, such as falls and auto accidents, can help you put plans and precautions in place to keep your children safe. For example, ensuring your children wear the proper kind of bicycle helmets for their age whenever they ride their bike can help prevent traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the event of an accident. Also, making sure that your children are wearing their seatbelts or sitting in the proper car seats when riding with friends’ parents or babysitters is important to their safety.
- Make sure they understand road safety: You teach your children from a young age to look both ways before they cross the street. Re-emphasizing this point when they are old enough to go out to play on their own is critical. Parents should take time to sit down with their kids and ensure they understand road safety as both pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Have a supervision plan: During the summer, it is important to know where your kids are and what they are doing. You might coordinate with the parents of your child’s friends or other neighborhood parents to make sure at least one parent is supervising the children at play at all times. This is especially important if children will be swimming at a neighbor’s or a community pool, attending a bonfire, or playing in areas or yards with pets. Safety around water and pools cannot be understated. Even if your child is a good swimmer, and especially if they are not, water safety and continuous supervision of children, even if lifeguards are present, is something you should discuss with your children and anyone entrusted with their care.
Even if another negligent party is the one at fault in personal injury cases, parents still want to take steps to protect their children before an accident has the chance to occur and to minimize any risks so that parents and children can have a safe and enjoyable summer.