OUTDOOR SAFETY TIPS FOR KIDS

With warmer weather there is the urge for getting kids to play outside. Outdoor play brings a lot of fun along with chances for kids to explore and interact with the world around them. Many parents say that they would like their children to spend more time outside, but are concerned about their child’s safety. Here are some tips that I found on the Internet to help improve child safety when playing outdoors:

• Supervise. There is no aspect of child safety more important than close adult supervision.
• Check sandboxes for sharp sticks, broken glass, bugs and animal droppings.
• Inspect play equipment for dangerous “S” hooks and sharp edges and be sure all equipment pieces are in working order.
• Use a shock-absorbing surface such as mulch, wood chips, sand or rubber matting in a backyard play space.
• Never leave a grill unattended in the backyard when kids are nearby playing.
• Secure all yard tools, including the hose, out of a child’s reach.
• If kids are helping you in the garden, make sure they wear gardening gloves and wash their hands afterwards. Take an inventory of the plants that children might reach to be sure they are not poisonous.
• Don’t store toys under a pressure-treated deck.
• Regardless of whether you are outside with your children or not, you will want to establish boundaries with them.
• Keep children well hydrated.
• Use helmets. Whether your child is riding a bike, roller skating or skate boarding.
• Keep kids off the streets. Most accidents that happen to children while biking, skating or playing ball happen in the street, or in an area not meant for play.
• Use sun screen. Protect your child's young skin with a sun screen that has an SPF of 15 or higher.
• Make sure fences and railings are safe.
• Carry a picture at all times. If you should ever have trouble finding your child at a park or on the beach, make sure you have an updated photograph to give to authorities or people who are helping you look.
• Use the buddy system. Make certain that when your kids go swimming, they use the buddy system. Never let children go in the water alone, and, if possible, pair younger children up with adults.
• Keep your grass cut.
• Rid your property of stagnant water. Any yard ornaments, old tires or places that accumulate stagnant water are a hazard because they make prime breeding grounds for mosquito larvae.