A Safety Reminder For Parents Everywhere!

With the summer approaching, we must take extra precaution as to the safety and well-being of our children. A few things to be on top of:

1. Do not leave your children alone in the car, even if you’re just running in for a “minute”, your car will literally roast & suffocate the children, and this can happen faster then you think. Even if you leave the ac on and the doors locked, cars are unpredictable and can stop working properly, even new expensive ones. You are also leaving your children vulnerable to child predators.

More on Safety:

1. Secure your children in properly in their car seats, and booster seats. Make sure you are using the right equipment for your child’s weight.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping your child rear facing as long as possible, There are car seats which permits rear facing until 35 pounds, even if your child’s feet are long.

Do not put a rear facing only seat forward facing. Do not put a child under 80 pounds in a regular seat belt, they should be in a booster seat still until then. Children under 100 pounds should not be in the front passenger seat if that car contains an airbag in that seat.

Children should ALWAYS be secured in their car seats, and booster seats, even if you are “driving just one block” or “driving just in the development” – My husband who is a paramedic, had a call, where the parent was just going to pull out of a driveway to park in the street and got hit by another car, the child went through the windshield, and barely survived, and had terrible facial wounds.

If you are unsure of how to secure your child in a car seat, call your local ems, they will usually show you how to do it properly for no fee. Also visit http://aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm for more on car seat safety and information.

Make sure your children are properly hydrated at all times, and if they look flushed give them juice, There have been too many cases of children getting heat stroke.

Make sure your child has on sun block to protect them from harmful uv rays and burns, fair skin children tend to burn more and faster, but darker skin children can also burn.

Children are vulnerable to many dangers and they look to us for protection, let us not let them down.