How to help your kids avoid summertime injuries

With the weather heating up, kids will be getting outside for summer activities and enjoying the season.

One expert is warning parents that these activities can come with certain risks including falls, sunburns, dehydration and broken bones.

“It’s really an interesting season, especially if you have a young child,” said Dr. Lynne Warda, the associate medical director of the Children’s Hospital emergency department.

Some popular children’s summertime activities include bike riding, skateboarding and jumping on a trampoline.

Though these activities are enjoyable, they can lead to serious injuries if not done safely.

“Trampolines, for example, we’ve seen some very serious injuries including spinal injuries, internal organ injuries, long-bone fractures such as the femur or the thigh bone, really long-term impacts for a child for those injuries,” Warda said.

“[The injuries] typically happen more when a child is bouncing on a trampoline with another person, especially one who’s bigger than they are.”

For biking, it’s mandatory by law for children and youth to wear helmets, even if a child is being transported in a bike trailer.

“That’s not new. This is going to be the 10-year anniversary of our helmet law in Manitoba,” Warda said.

HEAT SAFETY

With Environment and Climate Change Canada saying Canadians should prepare for a warm summer, there are steps people can take to keep their kids safe from the heat.

Some signs that a child is struggling with the heat include confusion, lethargy, sweating, and looking and feeling warm. However, before a child gets to this point, there are preventative steps parents and guardians can take, including keeping little kids, especially newborns, out of the heat.

Other ways to keep young kids safe are seeking out shady spots, taking breaks from the heat in cooler spots, and getting kids to wear hats and other heat-appropriate clothing.

“Overdressing is a common issue,” Warda said.

Warda noted that sunburns are also a common summertime risk, which can get so bad they can blister.

“They’re very painful. So again, keeping young children out of the sun, using sunscreen for older children, keeping in the shade, keeping indoors in between the peak hours,” she said.

More information on children’s safety and injury prevention can be found online. https://healthyparentingwinnipeg.ca/

-With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.