No Vacation from Child Safety 

Protect Kids from Preventable Injuries This Summer

It’s almost time for the end of the school year and that means lots of opportunities for kids to play at home and outdoors. Protect your children from preventable injuries or—in the worst outcome possible—death with safety tips from the new Warning Signs campaign and Florida Safe Pools.

The Warning Signs campaign brings several community partners together to prevent needless child deaths. It focuses on child drownings, suffocation and head trauma, among the leading causes of preventable deaths. Florida Safe Pools educates pool owners about the “layers of protection” that should surround every pool so that toddlers and children who can’t swim don’t become tragic statistics.

Here are a few tips to keep your children safe as they enjoy their summer vacation:

• If your children can’t swim, check out our website here for a list of community partners who can teach them how. Swim lessons can cut the risk of drowning by 88 percent in children younger than four.
  
• Don’t bring baby to bed for co-sleeping. Almost three-quarters of suffocation deaths in babies younger than four months occur the baby and parents share a bed. Place the baby in his or her own bed for protection.
  
• Make sure your older kids use helmets and protective gear when biking, skating or boarding and never shake crying or fussy babies to calm them.

Make this a fun and safe vacation for your children. Before you know it, the first day of school on Aug. 24 will be around the corner.