Tag: children

How to Keep your Children Protected from Heatstroke

On By Safe Kids Larimer CountyIn Car Seat Safety, child safetyLeave a comment

Riding in the car puts many babies right to sleep which makes it easy to forget they are in there. It also can create the idea to leave the sleeping child in the car while you run into the store quickly. However, leaving a child in the car even in cooler temperatures can lead to heatstroke or even death.

A car can heat up 19 degrees within 10 minutes and cracking a window does not help. Young children are most at risk since their bodies heat up faster than an adult’s. Heatstroke is entirely preventable by never leaving a child alone in the car.

To prevent heatstroke emergencies, remember to ACT:

  1. Avoid heatstroke injury or death by never leaving your child alone in the car. Also remember to keep keys and key fobs out of reach of children and lock your doors at all times.
  2. Create reminders that your child is in the car by placing your purse, briefcase or an item needed for your final destination by your child.
  3. Take action! If you see a child alone in a car, call 9-1-1. Emergency responders are trained for this situation. Your one call could be the reason a child lives.

Celebrating Safe Kids Week

On By Safe Kids Larimer CountyIn bicycle safety, Car Seat Safety, child safety, home safety, Medication Safety, water safetyLeave a comment

Safe Kids Larimer County Celebrates Safe Kids Week with Resources to Help Parents Protect Kids from Preventable Injuries

Safety Advocates Unite to Remind Busy Parents to Take Time to Focus on Simple Steps to Keep Kids Safe at Home, at Play, and on the Way

In honor of Safe Kids Week (May 8-14), Safe Kids Larimer County, based at UCHealth, is providing tips, resources, and activities to educate parents and caregivers about simple ways to keep their kids safe from a range of preventable injuries.

At a time when parents are focused on many priorities at once, Safe Kids Week is a national celebration dedicated to celebrating kids, raising awareness about child injury prevention, and inspiring parents to take the time to focus on proven and practical tips to keep their kids safe. 

Preventable injuries are the number one cause of death of children in the United States, and millions more are injured in ways that can affect them for a lifetime.

“Safe Kids Week is a wonderful opportunity for Larimer County residents to celebrate kids, learn about how to keep them safe and, ultimately, save lives,” says Alison Weston, Safe Kids Coordinator. “This is a week where we can all take just a little bit of time out of our busy schedules to focus on a few simple steps that can make a big difference in the safety of our children.”  

To support parents and caregivers, Safe Kids Larimer County is offering helpful resources, including:

  • Parent’s Guide to Child Safety – a comprehensive 24-page guide with expert advice and easy-to-follow tips to help families reduce risks, prevent injuries and keep kids safe at home, at play and on the road. Available in English and Spanish.
  • Family Safety Activity Book – a fun booklet that includes a maze, word search, coloring pages, puzzles, and other exciting games to keep you and your kids ages 4-8 entertained and safe. Available in English and Spanish.
  • Home Safety Graphic – an interactive graphic that takes parents room by room to show useful tips on how to keep their kids safe no matter where they live.

Medication Safety for Children

On By Safe Kids Larimer CountyIn home safety, Medication SafetyLeave a comment

Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday (4/30). Safely getting rid of unneeded medications is a great start to keeping children and teens from getting into them.

Medicine is the leading cause of poisoning in children. In 2017, nearly 52,000 children were seen in the Emergency Room for medicine poisoning. This is why it is extremely important to keep your children away from medicine. Keep this in mind when childproofing your home. Here are a few tips on how to keep your medicine safe from children.

  1. Get rid of unneeded medications. Visit one of the law enforcement agencies who are participating in the Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 30th or find a permanent drop off location here.
  2. Store medicine up and away and out of site from children. Children are naturally curious and ready to explore, especially places within their reach. Keeping medicine/vitamins at or above counter height will prevent children from reaching it – this includes medicine you use every day.
  3. Consider common places where medicine is kept. Many people tend to keep medicine in their purses or on the counter. Consider hanging bags on a high shelf or putting medications away when children come to visit.
  4. Understand which products are harmful to children. Many common products such as eye drops, diaper cream, and vitamins are harmful to children. Store these items as you would over-the-counter or prescription medicine.
  5. Save the Poison Help number to your phone and have it visible at home: 1-800-222-1222. Poison control specialists are available 24 hours a day and provide free medical advice for poison emergencies.
  6. Share medicine safety information with family and friends. Share this information with babysitters, grandparents, and other family members to keep medicine out of reach and out of site from children to prevent medicine poisoning. Also make sure they know the Poison Help number!

Travel Safety Tips

On By Safe Kids Larimer CountyIn Car Seat Safety, child safetyLeave a comment

Travel Safety Tips

It is no surprise that after being at home for quite some time due to coronavirus, many people are jumping at the chance to catch a flight or hit the road and venture out. There may also be other reasons for traveling, such as the need to see your family, or even work. Regardless of the reason, if you do, it is more important than ever before to take extra steps to be safe.

It is important to acknowledge that the CDC recommends staying home over any sort of travel.

Prior to Traveling, there are a few safety steps to take.

  • Let a trust-worthy neighbor know your plans so that they can keep an eye out for your house. Also, be sure to lock all doors, windows and close your garage.
  • Be sure not to post your travel plans to social media prior, as this can alert burglars to know when you will be out of town and potentially lead to a break in.
  • If you have packages being delivered, try and get them delivered to a friend or family members, to lessen the chance of them being stolen.
  • Meet with a certified car seat technician. If you are traveling with young children it is always a good idea to get your car seats checked out to ensure proper install and harnessing. Proper use of a car seat can decrease the risk of injury and death up to 74%. It is worth taking the 30 minutes with a trained professional to put your mind at ease. Find a local technician today.

In Action Travel Safety for Kids

  • Pack sanitizing wipes, sanitizer, and be sure to wash your hands! Having wipes can allow for you to sanitize items you or your children have touched or might use. At any chance you have, take a break to wash your hands.
  • Bring a car seat! You may be driving or flying, and kids who require car sears will need to have them on vacation, no exceptions. There are alternative seats such as lightweight car seats if you will be switching planes or cars often.
  • Teach your children to stay nearby. When traveling you may be in unfamiliar places, and it is important your kids stay near an adult at times. Have them dress in bright clothing to make it easier to see them. Take the time before traveling to explain to your children how they need to stay close by to make sure they are safe.

Road Trip Safety Tips

  • Give your car a once-over. Before hitting the road, make sure to check your entire car. Make sure there are no safety hazards, no service lights on, you can see through all mirrors and that the tire pressure is not low.
  • Buckle up! We may think that buckling up before hitting the road is common sense but check to make sure all seat belts are properly working and that any car seats are properly installed. This is an easy area to overlook but can save a life.
  • Take turns driving. When driving long distances, it is no surprise that you may find yourself tired. Having another person to alternate driving with can keep your more alert, leading to safer travels.

Taking trips with your family means new memories, new experiences and all-around fun times. Planning ahead and making sure you are prepared will keep both you and your family safer!

Prevent Accidental Poisonings in Your Home

On By Safe Kids Larimer CountyIn Medication SafetyLeave a comment

Where do you store your medicine, cleaning supplies, or items such as bug spray? If you are like most of us, you may have said in a cabinet or under the sink. Storing items such as these may not seem to be a big deal, however, incorrectly storing these items could put your children at serious risk for accidental poisoning. It only takes a bit of time and effort to drastically decrease the chances of this happening.

Let’s take a look at a few statistics according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

  • 91% of poisonings take place at home.
  • Poisoning is the leading cause of injury-related death in America.
  • The exposure to cleaning products we typically store within the home is the second leading cause of poisoning in children.

Although these thoughts and numbers may pose as fear-invoking, you can easily make changes to where you store potentially harmful items. Storing harmful items in areas that are out of reach to children can lower the risk of poisoning. There is a common misconception that “storing” the medicines you may not take on a regular basis is enough, but it is important to do the same with medicines you take frequently. Let’s go over simple, yet effective ways to protect your children from accidental poisonings.

  1. Keep all medicine out of the sight or access of children, even if it is something you take daily. Children are inquisitive and will get into items such as medications if it is within their reach.
  2. Child-proof areas that you may store your cleaning supplies, or medications. Items such as safety cabinet locks can prevent children from gaining access to these items or try storing them out of sight and out of reach.
  3. Buy items with child-resistant packaging when you can. If medication bottles or cleaning supplies are not child-resistant, it is crucial to store these items both out of sight and out of access.
  4. Use alarms to keep track of medication intake. Instead of leaving medications on counters or surfaces that children can get to, set alarms to remind yourself when to take the medication.
  5. Keep and list the Poison Help number in your phone and home for yourself and caregivers: 1-800-222-1222. There are 24-hour services provided to help you with poison related questions, emergencies, and overall medicine safety.

It may not be possible to entirely eliminate the chance of accidental poisoning, but it is possible to take steps to decrease the risk of this happening. Being more aware and taking preventative steps to eliminate access to medications or cleaning supplies can heighten your child’s at home safety. Take a look at these links for more resources on this topic.

https://www.safekids.org/checklist/medication-safety-checklist

https://www.safekids.org/tip/parent-medication-tip-card-pdf