{Consideration provided by Safe Kids}
I remember that day so clearly. I was cooking in the kitchen while my son sat at the dining room table coloring. He was just a toddler, maybe 3 or 4 at the time. At some point, I noticed the silence. Even today, my son’s curiosity compels him to explore how things work by taking them apart. In this instance, it was a lesson in sunscreen. As I glanced over, I noticed that his face was completely covered with sunscreen. Almost immediately, my masked little boy starts crying. He’s part scared, part uncomfortable about the fact that sunscreen is now seeping into his eyes, nose and mouth. As I attempted to wash off the waterproof cream, I put a call into my Pediatrician as a precaution. His advice. Remove the sunscreen with my makeup remover and store it out of reach.
I’ve had my share of near-safety misses. Like the time my son stuck a toy bead inside of his nose with resultant removal by a physician at a weekend Urgent Care Clinic. Or the time he fell off the bed and ended up with a concussion evaluation in the Emergency Room at 3 am. Fortunately, those episodes, however scary they felt, were minor, resulting in a few missed hours of sleep or a Saturday afternoon inconveniently spent at a medical center instead of outside at the park.
If you are a parent, I’m sure you could share your own stories of bumps, bruises, and broken bones. As much as I’ve tried to eliminate every danger and be present in every single moment of my kids’ lives, there are circumstances outside of my control. Which is why when my kids were 1 and 3, I consulted with a child safety expert to evaluate the risks in our home and make suggestions to keep my kids safe.
Over the weekend, Safe Kids Worldwide hosted their annual Safe Kids Day, which brought together celebrities, influencers and community members to educate families on safety, increase awareness about preventable injuries, and raise funds to protect children.
Did You Know? (Important Safety Facts)
- From 1975 to 2010, 9611 US kids were saved by using child restraints in cars
- 3.5 million kids are injured playing sports each year, enough to fill a pro football stadium 52 times
- Only 21 states and D.C. have passed laws requiring kids to wear bike helmets
- 7 out of 10 children injured by TV tip overs are 5 and younger
- It’s important to keep liquid laundry packets up and out of children’s reach and sight
- New trend shows teens 16-19 now most at risk as pedestrians
- Homes equipped with smoke alarms and sprinkler systems can reduce fire-related deaths by 82%
- A small child can drown in 1 inch of water
- Poison control centers successfully resolve 70% of cases avoiding ER and doctor visits
You might be surprised to learn that preventable injuries are the number one cause of death for children in the US. Because most injuries are preventable, it is critical for parents to understand a few simple tips to help their children grow up safe. Whether you are looking for information on safety in/around the home or while your kids are at play, Safe Kids Worldwide is an invaluable resource. In partnership with more than 400 US coalitions, their goal is to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and other preventable injuries in children. I encourage you to visit Safe Kids Worldwide to pledge your commitment to safety and find out how you can get involved. You can also sign up to receive a free Safe Kids Kit, a digital toolkit which contains resources designed to protect kids at the age and stage they are currently in. Simply click “I’m In” to get started!
- During Safe Kids Day, families learned about safety through interactive activities at Smashbox Studios.
- A pop-up skate park allowed kids to practice their skills while learning about helmet safety while bike riding and skateboarding.
- An oversized kitchen helped families understand and learn to identify the inherent dangers from a child’s perspective.
- Company 77 set up their pizza fire truck to teach children about fire safety while playing out their firefighting dreams aboard the bright red engine.
With one million children dying each year from injuries across the globe, Safe Kids wants families to understand that nearly every one of these tragedies is preventable. The organization has managed to reduce the US childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 60 percent, however more work is needed to further reduce injury-related deaths. To find out how you can get involved, visit SafeKids.org.
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