Children's Hospital Colorado — Shine

Pool Prep continued from page 1 For long car rides during summer trips, proper seating, restraints and parent preparation are paramount. Depending on his or her age, weight and height, your child should ride in an appropriate safety seat, or sit in the back seat wearing a correctly positioned lap and shoulder belt. According to the Colorado Child Passenger Safety (CPS) law, which Children's Colorado helped pass, babies under 1 year of age and weighing less than 20 pounds must ride in the vehicle's back seat, secured in a rear-facing seat. It's safest to allow babies to ride rear-facing until they are 2 years old. From ages 1 to 3, your children should still travel in the back seat in either a rear-facing or front-facing seat. Children between 4 and 7 years old and weighing a minimum of 40 pounds can begin using booster seats. Children should continue to use booster seats until their 8th birthday, compliant with Colorado law. It is best practice to use a booster seat until the adult seat belt fits a child directly in the center of the shoulder and low on the hips with the child's back against the vehicle seatback. CPS Team Colorado technicians are available at inspection stations across the state and can assist you with proper car seat installation for free. Children's Colorado also offers complimentary inspections and education sessions. "If your child protests, do what I do with my 7-year-old son and 9-yearold daughter: don't start the engine until everyone is seated and buckled up," Dr. Grubenhoff said. "Parents should also set an example of safe driving — don't talk or text on the phone, and if you are distracted for any reason, pull over." Call Children's Colorado's car seat hotline at (720) 777-4808 to schedule a free car seat inspection or for expert advice. 2 shine What would summer be without a trip to the lake, beach or river for swimming, boating, water skiing or tubing? As fun as it is to play in the water, parents should be mindful of potential danger. "First and foremost, no one should swim alone," said Joe Grubenhoff, MD, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician at Children's Hospital Colorado. "Young children should not be left unattended around any body of water, including inflatable pools or even buckets. It only takes seconds for a child to become submerged, and irreversible brain injury can occur within four minutes." Drowning is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 4, with most drowning in home pools. To keep children away from the pool when you're unable to closely monitor them, install isolation fencing with a self-closing and selflatching gate. The water itself is not the only danger — small children can become trapped by the suction in pool vents, so it's vital to know where the emergency cutoff is located. If your child has long hair, a swim cap helps prevent it from becoming trapped in drains. BEYOND THE POOL Another hazard related to swimming comes in the form of swimmer's ear, though children who enjoy a summertime dip in a pool or lake aren't the only ones at risk for developing it. "Swimmer's ear differs from water in the ear like a child might get while swimming," said Peggy Kelley, MD, Otolaryngologist at Children's Hospital Colorado. "The condition occurs when the ear canal gets too much moisture, allowing common bacteria in the canal to break through the barrier of ear wax and skin, setting up an infection. Symptoms include itchiness, redness, slight pain, hearing loss and drainage of clear fluid." Preventive measures include keeping ears clean and drying them immediately after swimming or bathing, using earplugs when swimming, and not scratching the ear or using objects such as cotton swabs for cleaning. childrenscolorado.org

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