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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
Summer
is a great time for family fun and playing in the
great outdoors. But certain types of illness and injury
are more likely to occur during the summer. With children
spending more time outdoors, parents and caregivers
can take extreme precautions to keep kids healthy.
Protecting
children from sunburn, avoiding insect bites and preventing
food-related illness are good first steps towards
a safe and healthy summer.
Some
tips for a safe summer include:
Barbecue Safety Check
- Prevent
burns by keeping children safely away from hot barbecues
and campfires
- Prevent
poisoning by locking barbecue fuels, fire starter
and other poisons out of a child's reach
- Cook
all ground meat until there is NO PINK remaining.
Don't serve cooked meat on the same plate used for
raw meat.
Tricycle
Safety
- Use
a tricycle that's the right size for the individual
child
- A
child should be able to place feet flat on the ground
when seated
- When
choosing a tricycle look for widely spaced rear
wheels, rubber (not plastic) tires, hubcap type
wheel covers (not open spokes, which can catch feet,
scarves, or fingers), padded handlebar grips
- Ensure
children wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet.
Playground
Safety
- The
surface under playground equipment should be soft
enough to absorb impact in a fall
- Climbing
equipment should be low, without openings big enough
to trap a child's head
- Swings
should have flexible seats, not wood or metal
- Avoid
clothing with ties or drawstrings, which could cause
strangling
- Report
unsafe conditions to the agency or department responsible
for the playground.
Adapted
from Child Safety Updates produced by Safe
Start and the British Columbia Ministry of Health
and Ministry Responsible for Seniors. For more information
contact Safe Start, B.C.'s Children's Hospital, 4480
Oak Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 3V4. Telephone: (604)
875-3273. Fax: (604) 875-2921.
(See
Business Forms
in our Exclusive Products
section to order ready-to-use Accident/Illness/Injury
Report and other valuable forms .)
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©
Catherine M. Pruissen
Catherine M. Pruissen is the CEO of About Child Care
Consumer Services and developer of child care online.
She has published numerous child care related literature,
including Start and
Run a Profitable Home Day Care, The
Daycare Alternative, How to Find Good Child Care,
Caregiver Aids: Business
Forms for Caregivers and Parents, Income
Tax & Record Keeping for Child Care Providers,
and a host of workshops and workbooks. She was the editor
and publisher of the bi-monthly newsletter, Parent Care,
Your Child Care News-line. Catherine was also the coordinator
and workshop facilitator for The Child Care Information
Centre in Calgary, Alberta, and ran a successful dayhome
for eight years. |
