Tag: safety

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!

Baby Safety Month

On By Safe Kids Larimer CountyIn home safetyLeave a comment

As a parent your top priority is keeping your children safe, and there are never enough chances to educate yourself on ways to do so. With the arrival of September, you are now in luck, because it is Baby Safety Month. What better time than now to take action to keep your baby safe?

These are simple, quick, and effective tips you can easily put into action to better protect your baby.

  • When putting your baby down for a nap or for the night, lay them on their back and there only needs to be a firm mattress with a fitted sheet. As tempting as it may be to put cute stuffed animals or extra blankets in the crib with your baby, these can actually cause more harm than good.
  • Always keep an eye out for broken toys that may be scattered on the floor or near your baby. These items can pose as a choking hazard to young children and babies. Anything smaller than a
  • Be sure to keep your baby’s bed away from windows or furniture. Having cords, strings or high surfaces can be a strangulation or fall risk.
  • Utilize baby gates! Having baby gates around your home can help to keep your baby away from harmful items or rooms that may be unsafe for your baby.
  • When bathing your baby, be sure to have the water no hotter than 120 °F to ensure the water is at a safe temperature, so you do not burn or injury your baby.
  • Keep your child rear facing in their car seat at least until 2 years of age, longer if the car seat allows it. This protects their head, neck and back in a crash much more than forward facing.

Want to dive deeper into keeping your baby safe? This booklet has tons of great information. Or, make a list of these and put it somewhere you will see it often so you can be sure to remind yourself on how to keep your baby as safe as can be!

Walk Safely This School Year

On By Safe Kids Larimer CountyIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Whether you are excited or not, school is right around the corner! It is time to start thinking about how your child is going to get there. Walking is a great way for them to get exercise! You may ask yourself; how can I keep my children safe as a pedestrian? The idea of not always being there to make sure your child is crossing a street safely or being able to ensure that cars are driving safely may be scary, but you can do your part and educate your child on pedestrian safety.

Eliminate Distractions

  • Take headphones off or turn down the volume on electronics before crossing a street.
  • If you see a friend that is not paying attention or that is distracted, get their attention to keep them safe.
  • If your kids bring a cellphone with them on walks, be sure to teach them that they need to be in a safe location before using the phone.

Putting it into Action

  • Teach children to look left, right then left again before crossing a street and keep scanning as they cross the road.
  • It is safest to remain on sidewalks, paths, or areas designated for pedestrians. Avoid walking on the road or in the bike lane.
  • Teach children not to run across streets or in parking lots.
  • If children are walking when it is dark out, encourage them to wear bright or reflective clothing, or even LED lights you clip on to your clothing.
  • Children should not cross-roads alone if they are 10 years old or younger, as they are not typically able to judge the distance or speed of oncoming traffic.
  • Teach your children what different traffic lights mean, so they can better understand what is going on around them.

Keeping Others Safe

  • When you are in the car be sure to look out for pedestrians, just as you’d like people to look out for you.
  • When driving put your phone or other electronics away so that your attention is on the road.
  • Be a good role-model. If there are children or other adults in your car, be sure to practice safe habits so that they too can practice them.

Start the conversation now and practice walking the route to help both you and your child feel more comfortable as school begins.