Summer Safety for Kids

Parents are always concerned about the safety of their children, but should be especially so during summer months. A Safe Kids USA study found that 42 percent of accidental deaths in children occur during the summer, and for children ages 10 to 14, the number of accidental deaths increases by 14 percent during summer months. Certain types of injuries also are common during the summer months.

Areas of Concern

• Accidental injuries and deaths are preventable, and parents should be aware that there are five primary areas of concern for kids during the summertime. They include bike riding accidents, car accidents, falling, drowning and pedestrian accidents. Parents also need to be concerned about sun and heat exposure, insect bites and stings, and other types of backyard injuries.

Protecting Your Kids

• The best way to keep your kids safe is to supervise them. According to Marie Lozon, director of emergency pediatric medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, many parents don't supervise their kids closely enough.

  "Everyday I hear, 'I just turned my back for a second,'" says Lozon.

  So, while it may be inconvenient, don't take your eyes off of them for a moment, especially younger children, and especially while involved in a potentially hazardous activity.

Specific Precautions

• Children should always wear protective helmets while riding their bicycles. Make it a non-negotiable rule---no helmet, no ride. Helmets should be approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) and will have a CSPC sticker attached. If not, it's time for a new one. Be sure to check that the helmet fits snugly and is properly adjusted to fit your child's head, and always secure the straps. Bike shops often will help you to ensure you have a proper fit.

  In the car, kids weighing less than 80 pounds can be secured in a car seat or booster seat, and everyone (including mom and dad) should wear seatbelts. Besides being the law, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that seatbelts saved more than 15,000 lives in 2007. In fact, 63 percent of car-accident-related deaths involved people who weren't wearing their seatbelts, including 34 percent of kids under the age of five.

  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids wear long-sleeved, loose-fitting clothing made of a light and breathable fabric when spending time outdoors.

  "The first and best line of defense against the sun is covering up. Wear a hat with a three-inch brim or a bill facing forward, sunglasses (look for sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of ultraviolet rays), and cotton clothing with a tight weave," says the AAP's report.

  To avoid heat-related injuries, make sure your kids stay hydrated. Most kids won't drink enough water (without prompting from parents), because they generally don't feel thirsty enough, especially when swimming or when they've already begun feeling dehydrated.

  "During the activity, periodic drinking should be enforced," recommends the AAP. "For example, each 20 minutes, 5 ounces of cold tap water or a flavored sports drink for a child weighing 90 pounds, and 9 ounces for an adolescent weighing 130 pounds, even if the child does not feel thirsty."

  When you're ready to hit the pool or beach, be sure to put sunscreen on your kids to prevent sunburn. You also may wish to use a sun hat to offer additional protection for the face and scalp.

  Kids under the age of four aren't considered developmentally ready to take individual swimming lessons, and even "Mom and Me" classes won't help to prevent drowning before that time. Never leave a child unsupervised in a pool, and kids under four should always be within an arm's reach of an adult.

  Keeping kids safe from bug bites and stings can be tricky. Begin by avoiding perfumes or scented soaps and detergents, which can attract insects. Stay away from stagnant water (a common breeding ground for mosquitoes). The AAP and the Centers for Disease Control recommend that kids over two months old should use insect repellent containing a 30 percent concentration of DEET. Babies under two months should not use products containing DEET. Using citronella candles and sticking fabric softener sheets in pockets also can help to keep insects at bay.