We're halfway through summer, which makes it the perfect time for a baby summer safety refresher. According to the
2007 Safe Kids US Summer Safety Ranking Report, unintentional injuries and deaths of children ages 0 to 14 increase in the summer.
Luckily it's easy to get focused and keep your baby safe all summer long. The Safe Kids report notes that 60% of all summer injuries are related to five distinct areas - drowning, bike accidents, falls, motor vehicle accidents and pedestrian accidents.
LESS DEADLY BABY SUMMER SAFETY ISSUES For babies, bike accidents are low priority because most babies aren't riding bikes yet. However, if you
bike and take your child with you, be sure you do so safely. Also, once your toddler is
old enough for a bike a helmet is a must. Toddlers and babies are also probably less likely to have pedestrian issues because most parents don't send their two year old off to cross the street alone. STILL, it's best to be aware that new walkers may surprise you with their quick speed. Case in point - my best friend's daughter took off across a normally busy street at just 1 1/2 years even though my friend had her eye on her. Luckily there was little traffic that day and my friend caught her before she could get hurt. My own son could run fast at age two and would also try to go in the street. This is why I suggest
limiting your use of "NO". Use the word no for situations like busy streets to make a point.
THE MOST DEADLY BABY SUMMER SAFETY ISSUES
Drowning, falls and motor vehicle accidents continue to be major safety issues for babies. Falls may seem non-threatening; I mean all kids fall down you know? But really falls are one of the most overlooked areas related to baby safety. According to the Home Safety Council, falls are “
By far the leading cause of unintentional home injury death. Falls account for an average of 5.1 million injuries and nearly 6,000 deaths each year.” Falling down can cause a major injury. Especially when kids fall from somewhere high, like a play structure at a park. Be sure to accompany young toddlers on a play structure at all times. Also use
smart tactics to protect your baby from falling dangers. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of children. Your baby not only needs a
safe infant car seat but it must be
installed properly. Additionally
never leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. This is not safe anytime of the year, but rising summer temperatures make this even more dangerious in the summer. Drowning, as I tend to say until I'm blue in the face, is a huge problem for babies. Read the following for tips on protecting your child from water dangers:
