WINTER SAFETY
When children head outdoors this winter for some seasonal fun, keep
a watchful eye to avoid injuries. Here's some practical advice from the
American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dress children appropriately. As a rule, kids need all parts of
their body covered. If a child does complain of numbness or pain or if the
skin is blistered, hard to the touch or glossy, follow these precations to
prevent frostbite. Take the child indoors and call your doctor. Tell the
child to wiggle the affected body part to increase blood supply. Warm the
frozen part against the body. Immerse the frozen part in body-temperature
water.
When sledding encourage the use of steerable sleds rather that snow
disks. Sleds need secure handholds and no sharp edges. Inner tube type
sleds are dangerous due to the bouncing that can happen on the way down
which can catapult the sledder into the air and to the inability to control
their descent. Children should wear bicycle hemets while sledding to prevent serious head and brain injury. Sledders should also make sure that the bottom of the hill
is away from motor traffic and that there are no trees or low lying
branches in the way.
Downhill skiing and snowboarding are safe when done under control
but participants are still at risk for hand and wrist injuries. Many
injuries are due to the failure of ski bindings to release. Make sure that
your ski bindings are adjusted each year as the weight of the skier
changes. Younger children should wear specially designed ski helmets when they ski downhill or snowboard.
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