TV or furniture tip-over accidents can occur in the blink of an eye. They can have long-lasting — even deadly — consequences. Please watch the video above to learn how you …Continue reading →
Lisa Klindt Simpson
Seven tips to keep your children safe on their walk to school
Did you know pedestrian injuries are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 5 to 14?
Children younger than 10 never should cross the street alone. Make sure your children follow these safety guidelines when walking to school: …Continue reading →
Pizza topped with prevention may just save your life
Do you like pizza? Do you like fire trucks? If you answered yes, your family should participate in Delivering Fire Prevention.
It’s happening Thursday evening, Oct. 20, in communities across southeast Wisconsin. If you order a pizza for delivery and have children age 14 and younger, you may be chosen to have your community’s fire department deliver your pizza – in a fire truck with lights flashing and horns blaring! …Continue reading this post
Spot your tot before starting your car
Just five seconds could save your child’s life. That’s how long it takes to walk around your car to check for children before starting the engine. In a rush to get to the store before it closes or in a frenzy to get to the airport before your flight leaves, the focus often is about what is in the car. With young children …Continue reading this post
Take simple steps to keep your child safe at home
More than 3 million children age 14 and younger are injured in accidents at home each year. Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries to this age group. Fire, suffocation, drowning, choking, firearms and poisoning are among the leading causes for more than 2,000 accidental deaths each year. …Continue reading this post
Slow down in school zones! School is back in session
Across Wisconsin, families are gearing up for another school year. It’s a good time to remind drivers to slow down and be aware of your surroundings, especially in school zones. According to Safe Kids research, 1 in 6 drivers driving in school zones is distracted. In 2009, 13,000 pedestrians age 14 and younger were injured. …Continue reading this post
Safety tips that keep boating fun for the family
There are two “must do’s” every parent should be aware of when it comes to their children and boating safety:
- Make sure your child wears a life jacket properly.
- Actively supervise your children on the boat.
Drowning causes nearly three-fourths of boating accident deaths each year. On average, 84 percent of these victims were not using a life jacket. …Continue reading this post
Being a “Water Watcher” means undistracted supervision of children
It’s a warm summer day and you’re at the pool with your kids. Your cell phone rings and you answer it, shifting focus from your kids to the phone conversation. Good idea? Not at all. It could even be deadly. Most kids were under an adult’s supervision just before they drowned.
Active supervision is the most important precaution for drowning. A supervised child is in sight at all times …Continue reading this post
Little hands and fireworks – not a bright idea
The summer months are a time when families enjoy a variety of activities outdoors; however, it’s also when fireworks cause devastating residential fires and serious injuries to children. According to the United States Fire Administration, fireworks injure nearly 9,000 people annually. Children younger than 15 years old account for 39 percent of the estimated fireworks injuries, which include serious burns. In 2009, 67 percent of fireworks injuries occurred between June 19 and July 19.
The National Fire Protection Agency reports that sparklers, which typically are viewed by parents as relatively harmless fireworks for children, cause serious burn injuries, accounting for one-third of the injuries to children age 5 and younger.
Safe Kids USA urges parents to practice these safety tips recommended by the United States Fire administration to reduce the risk of a residential fire or a trip to the emergency room and ensure this summer is a safe one for your family.
Fireworks safety
- The best way to enjoy fireworks is to visit public fireworks displays hosted by professionals who know how to safely handle fireworks.
- If you plan to use fireworks, make sure they are legal in your area.
- Never light fireworks indoors or near dry grass.
- Always have a bucket of water and/or a fire extinguisher nearby. Know how to operate the fire extinguisher properly.
- Do not wear loose clothing while using fireworks.
- Stand several feet away from lit fireworks. If a device does not go off, do not stand over it to investigate it. Put it out with water and dispose of it.
- Closely supervise children around fireworks at all times.
For more information about summer fire safety, visit www.safekids.org.
~ Lisa Klindt Simpson, coordinator, Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin
Updated car/booster seat recommendations – make sure your child is riding safely
This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with updated recommendations regarding our children’s car and booster seats. If you’ve had your seat installed or checked by a certified car seat technician with Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin Coalition or Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, then you already may be familiar with these recommendations. They aren’t laws, but they do mirror the best practice messages we teach parents served through our car seat clinic and car seat check events.
The recommendations can get a little confusing, so here’s a breakdown:
- Rear-facing: Your child should stay rear-facing until at least age 2 (longer if he or she still fits within the weight and height of his or her rear-facing seat). If your child outgrows his or her rear-facing infant seat before age 2, move the child into a seat that can remain rear-facing but accommodates higher weights and heights. Many seats now have rear-facing weight capacity that go up to 30-40 pounds. Rear-facing seats offer much more protection in a crash protecting a child’s back, neck and head. One-year-olds are 5 times less likely to be injured in a crash if they are in a rear-facing car seat than a forward-facing seat, according to a 2007 analysis of five years of U.S. crash data.
- Forward-facing: Once a child has outgrown his or her rear-facing seat and is at least 2 years old, he or she may be turned forward-facing in a harness seat – preferably a five-point harness. The child should remain in the forward-facing harness seat as long as the child is within the weight and height requirements of the forward-facing seat. Many forward-facing seats now have harnesses that can accommodate children from 50-80 pounds and are taller than they’ve ever been in the past. The five points of contact the harness provides the child offers much more stability in a crash, reducing the risk of injury, than the three points of contact a seat belt provides. Minimum requirement by Wisconsin law says your child must stay in a harness seat until he or she is 4 years old and 40 pounds. If he or she is in a higher weight harness seat, your child can stay in a harness much longer than this minimum requirement. …Continue reading →