From Tracie: Keep Your Kids On Track For A Safe Summer

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Keep Your Kids On Track For A Safe Summer

Tracking Pixel My childhood summer days were comprised of hours of reading punctuated by bike rides and occasional adventures in the woods. When I was little, there were a lot of safety rules my mom taught me over and over again - only jump in the water feet first, look both ways before crossing a street (preferably while holding the hand of an adult), don't talk to strangers, no playing or gathering blackberries near the train tracks, sit on your butt while sliding down a slide, mind the warning flags at the beach, and absolutely stay away from the half burnt down house in the woods.

Now that I'm the mom, it is my job to share those safety rules with Katarina. And I'm not off the hook because she is in her tween years. I only have to think back to the time I thought it would be a good idea to jump off of my friend's roof when I was 12 years old to remind myself that tweens and teens need safety rules, too.

That is why I am excited to work with Shriners Hospitals for Children® this summer to help promote their On Track For A Safe Summer Campaign. Because parents need all the help and support they can get as they teach their kids about safety.

Shriners Hospitals For Children Safe Summer Event

National Safety Month

June has been designated National Safety Month. It is the start of summer - or what public health and medical professionals in the United States call "trauma season," because serious injuries and unintentional deaths increase dramatically among children during these months. Scary.

Shriners Hospitals For Children Logo
Katarina and I recently attended a safe summer event at Shriners Hospitals for Children® in Tampa. It was pretty awesome. The kids and their parents were taken on a journey through several safety stations to learn important tips. I'm going to share some of my favorites with you today, so you can help your kids get on track for a safe summer.

Safe Summer Tip: Wear Sunscreen EVERY Time You Go Outside
I'm all about sunscreen now that I'm an adult, but kids just want to run outside and play as fast as they can. I remember those years of not caring about sunscreen, and I remember the second degree burns I got after I spent nine hours at the beach without any sunscreen when I was a teenager. Ouch! As you might guess, I took Katarina straight to the sunscreen station to reinforce the lessons I've been teaching her since she was little.

Shriners Hospitals for Children® knows what kids like. They made the stations both informative and fun, as you can see in the picture of Katarina getting ready to go outside. She has her shoes, hat, and sunscreen and is all ready to go!


Safe Summer Tip: Life Jackets Are NOT One Size Fits All
Water safety is a huge deal - especially when you live in Florida with beaches and pools all around. Did you know that life jackets aren't one size fits all? Everyone (kids and adults) should wear a life jacket that is Coast Guard approved and fits snug anytime they are boating or participating in water sports.

Always wear Coast Guard approved life jackets when you participate in water sports.

A few important things kids need to know about water safety:
  • Kids should always have an adult with them if they are going to get in the water, even if the water is shallow.
  • Kids should always jump in the water feet first the first time until they know how deep it really is.
  • Kids should never dive in the shallow end of the pool or into an above-ground pool. 

Learning about water safety at Shriners Hospital For Children. Kids should never play in the water without an adult present.

Safe Summer Tip: Marshmallows Belong In Fires - Kids Don't!
I love s'mores, probably more than most people, but as great as it is to gather around a campfire and roast marshmallows to a perfect golden brown, you need to be safe while you do it. Kids should never start fires or be left by themselves to roast marshmallows or cook on a grill. You always need a fire extinguisher or bucket of water nearby when you are going to start even a small fire.

Learning about fire safety and planning for a safe summer at Shriners Hospital For Children. Always have a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water with you if you are going to build a fire.

Safe Summer Tip: Playgrounds Are MORE Fun With Rules
Rules? Yes, rules! They are very important for playgrounds especially, because every year emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries according to The Centers for Disease Control.


A few basic playground rules to keep summer fun and injury-free:
  1. No pushing or shoving on the playground!
  2. Never go down the slide head first! Always slide down feet first, one kid at a time.
  3. No standing on the swings! Swing sitting down, and wait for the swing to slow down before you get off. 
  4. Play at playgrounds with shock-absorbing material. 
  5. Wear shoes when you play outside to prevent cuts and other injuries - and don't forget that sunscreen we talked about earlier! 
Remember all of these tips, and share them with your kids, and you will be on track for a safe summer! For more safety tips and activity pages for your kids, visit the Shriners Hospitals for Children® website.

Summer Safety with Shriners Hospitals for Children in Tampa, Florida

No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen. While Shriners Hospitals for Children® hopes to help reduce the risks of accidents and prevent injuries this summer, they are available to help if a child gets hurt. Their staff provides expert surgical and rehabilitative care to children with orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, and burns, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. They will even send someone to pick up a child for appointments if the family has transportation issues that prevent them from getting to the hospital.

What is the most important safety rule you taught your kids? 

*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Shriners Hospitals for Children®. All opinions, love of s'mores, and stories about unsafe choices in my teen years are my own. Much thanks to Deb Pope Photography for sharing her pictures from the On Track For A Safe Summer event. 

37 comments:

  1. As one who cannot go out in the sun without sunscreen, I WISH I knew the effects of the sun when I was little and thought it was cool to have a tan! Anything that can reduce childhood accidents, is good by me!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are awesome tips. When it comes to our kids, I don't think we can ever do too much to make sure they are safe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are all great tips. I remember standing on the swing in playgrounds without rubber mats (hey they weren't around then)-I was lucky but a couple of friends I knew were not--thankfully they were not badly hurt!! As for sunscreen--no such thing back then either--sunburns hurt--I know!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, summer comes with so many new dangers. And parents can easily get distracted with the fun and activity going on too. We need to be extra careful through the season!

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are great tips. I used to go under the sun for hours when I was a kid. I loved it when i got a good tan even if it hurt after a few days. Now I won't allow my kids to go out without applying sunscreen.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sunscreen is so important at any age. I feel like we used to make it so important as kids but now as adults we don't pay as much attention to it even though we should be wearing it daily.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You have a lot of great ideas in your post. There are just so many things our children need to learn and all of the dangers out there. Just waiting for them. Summer can be a really dangerous time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. These are great tips for keeping your little ones safe during the summer! It's technically not even summer yet and it's already super hot out. It's going to be very important to always have sunscreen on hand this Summer <3

    ReplyDelete
  9. Our biggest safety tip is not to leave the yard. lol We live on a lot of land in a very rural area surrounded by woods and cow pastures. Keeping them in the yard is our big thing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great tips! Swing sitting down! This was a rule that I loved to break as a child. I end up going to the ER because I broke the rule.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great summer safety tips!! Summer doesn't even start until Sunday but has already been record-breakingly hot!! Sunscreen is a must!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. These are nice tips and it's nice that they understand what children needs. They can connect better and help them better.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks or these wonderful tips that I can put to use with my family. Sunscreen is very important.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sunscreen is extremely important. Many parents forget that... I've learnt it the hard way. My daughter uses it everyday now.

    ReplyDelete
  15. these are really good summer safety tips! Yes, sunblock is definitely a must. use at max 50 spf and never more than that!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am always a stickler for sunscreen for everyone no question!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great tips! I rarely sunscreen myself but my kids? It's not an option. It is a must, I need to really work on myself! - Jeanine

    ReplyDelete
  18. These are great tips. I live in Florida so we are surrounded by water, I watch my kids like a hawk around the water. Accidents can happen so fast.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a cool event - and she looked like she had fun there too!
    I definitely remember getting terrible sunburns as a kid. And thinking nothing of them! To this day my kids haven't had one sunburn because we're so good about the sunscreen.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Playground rules are # 1 on our list... after two summers with a kid in a cast because of a playground incident we have learned the hard way. Now we go over the rules each and every time we leave the house. No one should have to deal with 12 weeks in a cast.. ever!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Keeping safe as summer gets into high gear is so important. I am glad you are putting reminders out there like this.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is really amazing and so needed. Parenting is hard. My girls are in their 20's and I almost felt like the no no Mom. So many dangers and the world was changing. I felt like they needed to be entertained because they could no longer play outside and alone. I wish we had Shriners back then but I am glad that when my girls have their own children they can be so much more informed then we were. I feel like we took away the fun. It's nice to see it coming back :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. So many great tips here. Living in Southern California, sunscreen is a daily staple.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This sounds awesome. Shriners really rock

    ReplyDelete
  25. These are great safety tips. The reminders are much appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sunscreen is always very, very important. You don't want a bad burn to ruin your summer, or maybe even wind you up in a hospital.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great safety tips! Rules don't have to mean having less fun. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wonderful tips! I agree older children need safety reminders too. As a child, I remember getting sun blisters on my back so I really enforce the sunscreen. #ShareFest

    ReplyDelete
  29. Some really important tips here Tracey. My kids (technically adults now) are both off on their own this summer, and hopefully I taught them well enough. Sharing this important post today!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great post with excellent tips! My mom's safety tips to me as a child included, "don't climb trees you can't get out of yourself, watch out for goose poop and don't pet a dog you don't know. All good ones for sure ;) Stopping by from SITS.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Summer is such a wonderful time, but there definitely are rules that all kiddos need to know to stay safe! I love your ideas for teaching this very important topic!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I too worry when kids are gathered around bon fires. They really need to stay at a safe distance. Worried about a gust of wind and someone tripping. Thanks for the safety reminders.

    ReplyDelete
  33. These are great safety reminders! One I always repeat to my kids is to not run around the pool. It's so easy to fall and hit your head.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks for these great safety tips. My girls are older like teens but it doesn't hurt to remind them of these things.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I am major rule lady. The biggest one is that if a toy or something they love goes out in the street and a car is coming, DO NOT run out after it. I can replace everything else, but not them.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I am loving the safety tips. Can't believe it's almost summer, hotta keep the kids safe.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Safety tips are so important. Great reminders for everyone.

    ReplyDelete