What’s Up Weds? Nanny Roundtable "Summer Safety"

Nanny Roundtable: Summer Safety

Tues., July 20. 2010

Statistics:

• This year one in four children under the age of 14 sustains an injury requiring medical attention. [National Safe Kids Campaign]
• 40% of injuries that are seen in the emergency room and 42% of all injury related deaths occur between May and August. [Discovery Health]
• 90% of those accidents can be prevented by educating ourselves and our children about basic safety. [Discovery Health]

Bites, Stings & Ticks:

• Reduce the incidence of bites and stings:
• Dress is light (not bright) colors. Bees and other bugs won’t be as attracted to these colors. This also makes it easier to spot ticks.
• Use fragrance free lotions/soaps. If you smell like lavender, a bug will think you are lavender.
• Use repellent sprays
• Insect repellent not recommended for children under 18 months.
• DEET is a common ingredient in repellent. It can be toxic, particularly to children. Choose a repellent with low levels of DEET (about 10%). Or avoid it all together but choosing one containing picaridin or lemon eucalyptus. Both are non-toxic and are just as effective as those containing DEET. Repellents containing DEET will work against ticks but any repellent containing permethrin are an alternative.[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -CDC]
• Tick season is April thru October in most regions of the country can be picked up even in your own yard while playing. Be sure to do thorough checks at least once a day on clothes and along hairline, neck, arms and legs. Symptoms from a tick-born illness can take up to 36 hours to show. [CDC]

Water Safety:

• In 2006 more than 3,700 kids under 6 years old were injured in near drowning incidents. [SafeKids]
• More than 830 kids ages 14 and younger die due to unintentional drowning each year.[SafeKids]
• Installing self latching gates and fences over five feet tall can prevent an estimated 50-90% of accidental drownings of children. [Discovery Health]

Use common sense:

• Never leave children unattended near a pool or lake, no matter their age or swimming abilities.
• -Floaties are not life preservers, simply swim assistance- they are not made to prevent drowning.
• -Build your child’s water skills and confidence with lessons and experience.
• -Obey pool rules (walk, only swim when lifeguard is on duty etc.)

Playing Safely:

• Playground related injuries cause more than 205,000 emergency room visits each year. [Consumer Product Safety Commission -CPSC]
• More than 300,000 kids end up in the emergency room due to a bike related injury. [CPSC]

Prevent such injuries:

• Check playsets for loose pieces (to prevent falls) or unsecured chains and ropes (to prevent strangulations)
• Be sure a playground area is over a soft ground cover (often mulch or rubber tips), never grass or concrete to cushion falls and prevent head and neck injuries.
• Dress appropriately: avoid open toed shoes, strings on hooded sweatshirts and avoid clothing that is loose enough to catch or tangle on playset equipment.
• Be sure child is riding the proper size bike (a 1-3 inch gap should be between child and bike when child stands over bike frame).
• Always wear a helmet on bikes, scooters and rollerblades.

The Sun:

• Getting one blistering or peeling sunburn during childhood double chances of developing Melanoma. [Skin Cancer Foundation]
• Regardless of age, skin type (dark or light, easily burned or not), it is recommended that waterproof sunblock rated to protect against UVA and UVB rays with an SPF rating of 30 or higher be used. [American Academy of Dermatology]
• Using a lotion sunblock is more effective than popular sprays because it holds a stronger physical barrier against the sun. [Thanks, Dr. Allison]
• It is important to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every 2 hours at minimum.
• If using sunblock and insect repellent, apply repellent after sunblock.

Beat the Heat:

• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and sports drinks with electrolytes (Did you know that milk has as much electrolytes in a serving as Gatorade?)
• Stay in the shade or air conditioning during the hottest part of the day (afternoon).
• Heat Exhaustion: mild symptoms, thrist, fatigue, cramp. Can progress to heat stroke if untreated.
• Heat Stroke: categorized as “severe”, feelings of dizziness, trouble breathing, headaches, confusion, changes in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, body temperature as high as 104F. Untreated heat exhaustion can lead to organ damage- particularly kidney, liver and brain.
• Kids are more susceptible because their central nervous systems are still developing, making it even harder for the body to “keep up” in these conditions.
• Anyone with Diabetes and cardiovascular conditions are at a higher risk.
• Never leave children in a car, even with windows down, for any amount of time especially in heat.
• Pay attention to what kids are eating, how much they are drinking and make sure they periodically take some time to stop play and rest.
• Kids active in sports and active play should drink 5 ounces (for a child weighing 88 pounds) every 20 minutes. [The American Academy of Pediatrics]

Helpful Sites:

Discovery Health: http://health.discovery.com

National Safe Kids Campaign aka Safe Kids: http://www.kidsafe.org

Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov

Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://dpsc.gov

Skin Cancer Foundation: http://www.skincancer.org

American Academy of Dermatology: http://www.aad.org

American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org