School is out and our children are outside much more enjoying summer activities. Their safety should always be of utmost concern for parents.
In a recent online article Summer Outdoor Safety Tips Offered for Child Care Facilities, reporter Eric Tegethoff of Public News Service writes about issues of concern for parents during the summer months especially. The article is a refresher about information we may have heard in the past, but is updated and reminds us parents about how diligent we must be to protect our precious ones.
Of course, the number one issue is keeping an eye on our children when they are in and around water. As parents, we understand this but the tragedy is that even those parents who understand the dangers that lurk for children when playing in and around water, often believe that nothing would never happen to their children. One of the first considerations is the surface around the water. Typically, children play around water barefoot so your diligence requires your examination of the surfaces for any potential causes of injuries. Are there any sharp or jagged surfaces? Are there any protrusions? Can anything potentially dangerous be hidden underneath the surface, such as under sand at the beach?
Another consideration is keeping a vigilant eye on your children when they are in water. The article quotes the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s findings that “for 77 percent of child drowning victims, the child has been missing from sight five minutes or less.” Never assume that another adult will be keeping an eye on your children unless you have specifically requested that he/she do so and trust that person. You must be focused and knowledgeable about where your children are all the time.
The article also refers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s findings that 2 of the 10 drowning deaths that happen every day are to children 14 and younger. It recommends that there should be one adult for every infant in a pool. As children get older, less monitoring is required: four children for every adult at pre-school age and six per adult for school-age children.
Please do not forget to put sunscreen on your children before they go to play outside and be sure that they have sufficient hydration. The sun provides important vitamin D for them but also can cause problems.
You can read the entire article by clicking here.