Summer Safety for Kids!
Did you know that statistics show emergency room visits increase by more than 20 percent nationwide as temperatures rise and kids return to outside play?? That's terrifying - and based on my own kids' antics, it doesn't even just take playing outside to run the risk! “We’re going to see a rise in injuries,” said Dr. Greg Canty, an emergency room physician at Children’s Mercy Hospital. “Kids have developing bones, which are very unique and different from adult bones, and they fall and get injuries. Fractures are quite common.”
My kids are both at the age where they are often playing on playgrounds, climbing up anything and jumping off everything (inside, too!). Just two weekends ago we had a scare - we were at a birthday party at a park. Both of my kids were playing on the equipment, which they are totally used to doing and quite competent on them. Greg and I always stay close by, but in a freak moment, Nora just stumbled backwards a bit and ended up falling off the equipment about 4.5 feet off the ground.
I was close, but not close enough and just barely missed catching her - which I felt so horrible about. Thankfully, we were playing on a playground with a softer ground - one of those cushy track-like surfaces that really made a difference. She cried, but mainly due to being scared. I knew she was OK when one of her good friends from school showed up to the party and she immediately stopped crying and got down from my lap to go see him.
Of course, my kids aren't just active when we are outside on playgrounds. Nora has taken to using our home as her very own obstacle course!
(Don't mind my messy house... it's not always this messy. No, nevermind, it is always this messy. #toddlers)
And then there are those bounce houses and blowup obstacle course that kids just climb and jump all over each other in. These things give me a minor panic attack every time! But Liam loves them. I'm that crazy parent running along the side keeping a keen eye on him. Making sure he isn't getting smashed beneath a pile of bigger kids or hasn't fallen from the top ladder. Oy!
So, if you are looking to get some extra safety tips for this upcoming season (and all seasons!), check out Children's Mercy's Childhood Safety tips here. And for your older kids in sports, you can get more specific sport medicine info here and if you are in the Kansas City area, rest assure that Children's Mercy's state-of- the-art Blue Valley Sports Medicine Clinic is right around the corner!
And here's hoping YOUR summer is a happy and safe one!
Make sure to sign up for Children's Mercy emails for more parenting & safety tips and follow @ChildrensMercy on Twitter or Facebook! You can follow me + other area KC moms via #CMHMoms.
This post is in partnership with Children's Mercy Hospital of Kanas City! All opinions are my own!
