Summer Safety Tips To Keep Your Kids Safe

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Preventive Medicine;  Public Health
Article Date: 03 Jul 2010 - 1:00 PDT

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Doctors and other experts at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are providing tips on how to keep your child safe this summer. Safety topics that they focus on include:

-- ATVs: Children younger than 16 should not operate all-terrain vehicles. Riding with more than one person at a time on an ATV should not be permitted.

-- Bicycles: Children of all ages should wear helmets each time they ride a bike. Parents should plan a safe cycling route with their children and teach them safe riding habits.

-- Fireworks: Parents should never allow children to play with light fireworks. Families should attend professional fireworks displays rather than use fireworks at home.

-- Lawn mowers: Children younger than 15 should not be in the yard when the lawn is being mowed. No passengers should be carried on ride-on mowers.

-- Playgrounds: Children should be supervised at all times while at the playground. Never attach or allow children to attach ropes, jump ropes, leashes, or similar items to play equipment.

-- Sun Safety: Apply water-resistant sunscreens that help protect your child's skin from both UVA and UVB rays and that have SPF numbers of at least 15. Keep babies younger than six months out of the sun. Sunscreens may irritate baby skin, and an infant's developing eyes are especially vulnerable to sunlight.

-- Water and pools: Never leave children alone in or near the pool. An adult should be within arm's length, providing "touch supervision."

ABOUT CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of just eight children's hospitals named to the Honor Roll in U.S. News and World Report's 2010-11 Best Children's Hospitals. It is ranked #1 for digestive disorders and highly ranked for its expertise in pulmonology, cancer, neonatology, heart and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, diabetes and endocrinology, orthopedics, kidney disorders and urology. Cincinnati Children's is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. It is internationally recognized for quality and transformation work by Leapfrog, The Joint Commission, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and by hospitals and health organizations it works with globally.

Source: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

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