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Summer vacation often means fun-filled activities for
children — and some hazards as well. With a few simple
measures, you can help protect your children from
unintentional injury and keep sunny smiles on their faces.
W
'SHINE'
IS NOW ONLINE!
Go to
childrenscolorado.org/welcome
to sign up and to get other
free parenting resources,
including our free
ChildrensMD app.
ithout daytime lessons or homework to occupy evening
hours, children have a lot of free time during the summer.
While active play is beneficial for health, playgrounds present a
significant risk of injury, especially with less supervision due to
the absence of teachers' watchful eyes. To lessen the chance of
your child being hurt, an adult should supervise children at all
times and guide children to play safely.
Each year, more than 200,000 children are treated in
emergency rooms for playground-related injuries, most of them
related to falls. Falls from any height can result in a concussion,
which happens when a blow causes a jarring impact to the
brain. With or without a loss of consciousness, concussion
can cause changes in behavior or alertness.
"Common concussion symptoms include headache, vomiting,
acting dazed or confused, memory problems, and unusual
sleepiness," said Joe Grubenhoff, MD, Pediatric Emergency
Medicine Physician at Children's Hospital Colorado. "If your
child is not behaving normally after a head injury, he or she
should be evaluated in an emergency room immediately."
RIDE WITH CARE
"Here's Dr. Joe's Rule: If it has wheels and no doors, you
need a helmet!" Dr. Grubenhoff said. "This goes for bikes,
skateboards, roller blades, scooters, tag-along bikes and
bike trailers."
continued on page 2
Call the ParentSmart Healthline at (855) KID-INFO for free healthcare advice from registered nurses, 24/7.
shine
summer 2013
