Making Summer Safe for Your Kids

All of the following information is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website:

Water safety
- Teach kids how to swim - learning to swim can prevent drowning
- Learn CPR - this could be life-saving
- Install a four-sided fence around home pools
- Wear a life-jacket if you are boating

Beat the Heat and the Sun
- Never leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are open
- Dress children and infants in loose and light-colored clothing
- Be careful when scheduling outdoor activities - morning and evening hours are more ideal than afternoon hours, when the weather is at its hottest
- Seek medical care if your child has symptoms of heat-related illness

It is important to prevent sunburn because it could increase your child's risk of skin cancer later in life.
- Have your child use sunscreen with at least SPF (sun protection factor) 15 and UVA (Ultraviolet A) and UVB (Ultraviolet B) protection whenever you and your child go outside

Mosquitos, bugs, ticks
- Use an effective insect repellent when outdoors
- Check yourself and children for ticks - they are easy to remove

Preventing injuries
Every year in the US, 200,000 children age 14 and under, are treated by emergency departments for playground-related injuries
- Make sure your children are using safe, soft, and well-maintained playground equipment
- Always supervise your children around fall hazards, such as stairs and playground equipment
- Use stairgates

Concussions can occur while playing sports or engaging in recreational activities. They are traumatic and can change the way your brain normally works
- Make sure your child is wearing the right protective gear for the sport they are playing

At home: 
Follow tips on fire prevention, microwave use, and living with pets

​More information on summer safety for your kids:
https://www.cdc.gov/family/kids/summer/index.htm

More information on concussions and traumatic brain injuries:
https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_symptoms.html
https://www.cdc.gov/concussion/what_to_do.html​