Out with the flu season and in with the new season. With the start of summer around the corner, families and children are eager to get outside and enjoy some much anticipated fun in the sun. With all the things summer has to offer, keeping kids safe needs to be of utmost importance, especially when it comes to water activities and drowning. Whether you are heading to the lake, the beach, the neighborhood pool or even just your own backdoor kiddie pool, families need to be aware of drowning risks for their children.
Awareness is key to avoiding these preventable deaths and injuries. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States drowning is the number one cause of injury deaths in children ages 1-4 years and third leading cause of unintentional death in ages 5-19. Younger age and special health care needs can increase a child’s risk of drowning, but all children are at risk and prevention strategies need to be in place.
Parents can start by enrolling their children in swimming lessons to help acclimate them to the water and obtain some basic swimming skills. When around any type of water, it is vital for children to never be left unattended for any amount of time and ensure that the attention to them is constant and free of distractions.
Parents also need to be sure that safe guards around pools or water are in place such as four-sided fencing, self-latching gates, pool alarms and appropriate pool covers just to name a few. Children are curious and like to wander. Many of these drownings occur when children unexpectedly access water such as wandering back outside once everyone has come inside or everyone else has left the poolside to another area. Pools that are familiar to the kids pose just as much risk as new settings and the same monitoring and caution should be in place.
Parents and caregivers are also encouraged to be CPR certified in the event of an emergency as quick action can be life-saving in these situations. Requiring life jackets on water crafts for all children and for younger children in pools is also a necessary prevention strategy.
Along with water safety comes sun safety. Everyone is at risk for sunburn and the most damage is done in childhood. If under 6 months of age, children need to remain shaded and out of direct sun. Sunscreen can take up to 30 minutes to be effective so remember to apply prior to heading out into the sun and reapply every couple of hours and after swimming or sweating.
It is important to use it even on cloudy days as UV rays can still penetrate through clouds. Choose a water resistant, broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 and above. Try to avoid the peak sun hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. whenever possible.
These are just a few recommendations on how to keep kids safe this summer. For more information, visit HealthyChildren.org or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. We hope you all have a happy, fun and safe summer.
Kelly White, a nurse practitioner at Joshi Pediatrics, Crawfordsville, contributed this column.
