Taking the Kids™
Keeping Them Safe on Vacation
The weather was postcard perfect - swaying palms, blue skies and gentle breezes. Too bad we weren’t at the beach, novel and tropical drink in hand. We were impatiently waiting at a stuffy doctor’s office along with other vacationers who, like us, clearly wished they were elsewhere.
A painful, blistering sunburn had sent us to the nearest walk-in clinic. Sure it could have been avoided, had only my daughter’s friend heeded my many warnings (“stop nagging, Mom!”) to douse herself in sunscreen while working on her tan. Now the 15-year-old was so contrite and miserable, I didn’t have the heart to launch into my “I told you so” speech much less the “Don’t you-know-you-can-get-skin-cancer?!” lecture.
There are plenty of vacation mishaps and illnesses, of course, that can’t be as easily avoided as sunburn. But the sad reality is more children get injured, some fatally, in summer and often on vacation, than any other time of year. And these injuries could have been as easily avoided as our case of sunburn, reports the National Safe Kids Campaign (www.safekids.org), the non-profit agency committed to preventing childhood injury. In the hope that none of you will waste even a minute of vacation time in an ER or doctor’s office this summer - it’s certainly no fun--here’s how the National Safe Kids Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org) suggests you can help keep your gang safe on vacation this summer:
- NOT EVEN FOR A MINUTE should you leave a child unsupervised in a hot car. Experts explain that a child’s core temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult’s would: On a summer sunny day, the temperature inside a car can reach potentially deadly levels in just minutes - quicker than it would take to grab some food at a take-out place.
- ARM’S LENGTH IN THE POOL is how close you should be to babies and toddlers, the Academy of Pediatrics says, providing “touching” supervision. Put down your book while you’re watching the older ones. They need your undivided attention. Never let older kids swim alone or boat without life jackets either. Two-thirds of child drownings occur between May and August.
- NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY BEG OR COMPLAIN kids (and parents) should be securely buckled up whenever hitting the road. Despite laws in every state, 14 per cent of children ride unrestrained, putting them at twice the risk for injury and death. Just as important, make sure your child’s car seat is installed properly and that you are using the right kind of restraint for their size. Studies show that 85 per cent of children in child safety seats aren’t being restrained properly, making them much more likely to be seriously injured. Search the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s site at www.seatcheck.org for locations where you can make sure your safety seats are installed correctly. Remember that youngsters between four and eight (between 40-80 pounds) should be in booster seats, not just seat belts, and that all kids are safer in the back seat.
- SMEAR ON THE GLOP using sunscreen with an SPF factor of at least 15, the Academy of Pediatrics suggests, and reapply every two hours as well as after swimming. Babies under 6 months should be kept out of the direct sunlight altogether. Keep them in the shade! And when kids are playing in the heat, make sure they drink plenty of water - even if they’re not thirsty: Five ounces for a child weighing 88 pounds, four ounces more for older, heavier kids.
- KEEP BUGS AWAY with repellents appropriate for kids should contain no more than 10 percent DEET because the chemical, when absorbed through the skin can cause harm. Avoid scented soaps, perfumes or hair sprays on children because that can attract insects.
- DON THAT HELMET before getting on a bike, skateboard or scooter. Kids account for more than 54 per cent of bike injuries, sending more than 370,000 kids ages 14 and under to hospital ERs in one year. Most serious injuries and deaths are caused by head injury - half the bike injuries among kids 10 and younger. Helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 per cent. It might help if more helmets donned helmets too. Bring yours along on vacation or rent them where you rent bikes.
By: Eileen Ogintz
