Celebrate Safe Kids Month with Safe Kids PA

From Safe Kids Pennsylvania

May is Safe Kids Month! Preventable injuries are the number one cause of death of children in the U.S., and millions of other kids are injured in ways that can affect them for a lifetime. As the only statewide evidence-based child injury prevention program in Pennsylvania that covers home safety, car and road safety, and sports and play safety, Safe Kids Pennsylvania (SKPA) joins over 400 local coalitions and partners across the country to advocate for a safe upcoming summer season.

Summer is an exciting season for families, often bringing vacations, barbecues, picnics, and time away from work and school. Unfortunately, unintentional childhood injuries and deaths increase dramatically during the summer months, known amongst public health professionals as “trauma season.” During May through August, 41% of all unintentional injury deaths in children occur.

SKPA offers these safety tips and resources to support parents and caregivers in their efforts to keep their children safe from preventable injuries during the summer season and all year round.

Safe sleep

Always have your baby sleep in a safe crib, bassinet, or pack-n-play. Bed-sharing or sleeping on the same surface as a baby, such as a couch or a chair, is unsafe due to the high risk of suffocation .
Only use a firm, flat, non-inclined mattress covered with a tight-fitting crib sheet in your baby’s crib. Unfortunately, soft bedding, stuffed animals, bumpers, and other accessories can block your baby’s airway during sleep.
Lay your baby on their back for every sleep by every caregiver until the child is 1 year old. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, sitting devices such as car seats, strollers, swings, infant carriers, and infant slings are not recommended for routine sleep due to the risk of the baby’s head falling forward and closing the airway, medically called positional asphyxiation.

Child passenger safety

Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size, ensuring it is appropriate for the child and properly fits into your vehicle. Use this car seat for every drive and wait as long as possible, based on your child’s height and weight, before moving them up to the next seat.
Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions and read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system.
Have your child sit in the back seat while riding in a vehicle. Children 12 and under are approximately 36% less likely to die in a crash if seated in the rear seat of a passenger vehicle.

Bike safety

Ensure your child wears a properly fitted bicycle helmet for each ride by completing a Helmet Fit Test.
Dress your child in bright colors, such as neon green or orange, when riding a bike. SKPA recommends that children wear reflective gear or have flashing lights on their bikes to be more visible to other cyclists and drivers.
Do a Basic Bike Check for your child (ABC Quick Check) before they begin riding:
- (A)ir in tires
- (B)rakes are working
- (C)ranks and chain
- Quick release levers closed
- Check over the entire bike

Water safety

Teach your child how to swim. Every child is different, so enroll children in swimming lessons when they are ready. Consider their age, development, and how often they are around water.
Never leave your child unattended around water, and avoid distractions while watching a child in or near water, as babies can drown in as little as one inch of water within a minute.
Empty all tubs, buckets, containers, and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside down and out of children’s reach.

Additionally, Safe Kids Pennsylvania has translated four Safe Kids Worldwide resources: The Family Safety Activity Book, A Parent’s Guide to Child Safety, Baby Safety Basics, and Water Safety Activity and Coloring Book, into Spanish, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Nepali.

More information on concussion awareness in adolescents is available at www.pasafekids.org.

About Safe Kids Pennsylvania

Safe Kids Pennsylvania (SKPA) is one of many statewide coalitions under Safe Kids Worldwide’s global network, dedicated to keeping kids safe from the number one cause of death among children ages 1 to 19, preventable childhood injury. Led by the American Trauma Society, Pennsylvania Division, SKPA promotes and supports childhood injury prevention across Pennsylvania through education, collaboration, and advocacy.

For more information on Safe Kids PA, visit our official SKPA website and social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.