Keep Your Kids On Track For A Safe Summer

My childhood summer days were comprised of hours of reading punctuated by bike rides and occasional adventures in the woods. When I was little, there were a lot of safety rules my mom taught me over and over again - only jump in the water feet first, look both ways before crossing a street (preferably while holding the hand of an adult), don't talk to strangers, no playing or gathering blackberries near the train tracks, sit on your butt while sliding down a slide, mind the warning flags at the beach, and absolutely stay away from the half burnt down house in the woods.

Now that I'm the mom, it is my job to share those safety rules with Katarina. And I'm not off the hook because she is in her tween years. I only have to think back to the time I thought it would be a good idea to jump off of my friend's roof when I was 12 years old to remind myself that tweens and teens need safety rules, too.

That is why I am excited to work with Shriners Hospitals for Children® this summer to help promote their On Track For A Safe Summer Campaign. Because parents need all the help and support they can get as they teach their kids about safety.

National Safety Month

June has been designated National Safety Month. It is the start of summer - or what public health and medical professionals in the United States call "trauma season," because serious injuries and unintentional deaths increase dramatically among children during these months. Scary.

Katarina and I recently attended a safe summer event at Shriners Hospitals for Children® in Tampa. It was pretty awesome. The kids and their parents were taken on a journey through several safety stations to learn important tips. I'm going to share some of my favorites with you today, so you can help your kids get on track for a safe summer.

Safe Summer Tip: Wear Sunscreen EVERY Time You Go Outside
I'm all about sunscreen now that I'm an adult, but kids just want to run outside and play as fast as they can. I remember those years of not caring about sunscreen, and I remember the second degree burns I got after I spent nine hours at the beach without any sunscreen when I was a teenager. Ouch! As you might guess, I took Katarina straight to the sunscreen station to reinforce the lessons I've been teaching her since she was little.

Shriners Hospitals for Children® knows what kids like. They made the stations both informative and fun, as you can see in the picture of Katarina getting ready to go outside. She has her shoes, hat, and sunscreen and is all ready to go!

Safe Summer Tip: Life Jackets Are NOT One Size Fits All
Water safety is a huge deal - especially when you live in Florida with beaches and pools all around. Did you know that life jackets aren't one size fits all? Everyone (kids and adults) should wear a life jacket that is Coast Guard approved and fits snug anytime they are boating or participating in water sports.

A few important things kids need to know about water safety:

• Kids should always have an adult with them if they are going to get in the water, even if the water is shallow.
• Kids should always jump in the water feet first the first time until they know how deep it really is.
• Kids should never dive in the shallow end of the pool or into an above-ground pool. 

Safe Summer Tip: Marshmallows Belong In Fires - Kids Don't!
I love s'mores, probably more than most people, but as great as it is to gather around a campfire and roast marshmallows to a perfect golden brown, you need to be safe while you do it. Kids should never start fires or be left by themselves to roast marshmallows or cook on a grill. You always need a fire extinguisher or bucket of water nearby when you are going to start even a small fire.

Safe Summer Tip: Playgrounds Are MORE Fun With Rules
Rules? Yes, rules! They are very important for playgrounds especially, because every year emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries according to The Centers for Disease Control.

A few basic playground rules to keep summer fun and injury-free:

1. No pushing or shoving on the playground!
2. Never go down the slide head first! Always slide down feet first, one kid at a time.
3. No standing on the swings! Swing sitting down, and wait for the swing to slow down before you get off. 
4. Play at playgrounds with shock-absorbing material. 
5. Wear shoes when you play outside to prevent cuts and other injuries - and don't forget that sunscreen we talked about earlier! 

Remember all of these tips, and share them with your kids, and you will be on track for a safe summer! For more safety tips and activity pages for your kids, visit the Shriners Hospitals for Children® website.

No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen. While Shriners Hospitals for Children® hopes to help reduce the risks of accidents and prevent injuries this summer, they are available to help if a child gets hurt. Their staff provides expert surgical and rehabilitative care to children with orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, and burns, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. They will even send someone to pick up a child for appointments if the family has transportation issues that prevent them from getting to the hospital.

What is the most important safety rule you taught your kids? 

*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Shriners Hospitals for Children®. All opinions, love of s'mores, and stories about unsafe choices in my teen years are my own. Much thanks to Deb Pope Photography for sharing her pictures from the On Track For A Safe Summer event. 

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