Summer Safety Tips For Kids
With kids home for the summer, it’s time for parents to do their homework about child safety. That includes reviewing pool safety tips, creating a list of emergency contact numbers and going over basic street safety rules. A few simple precautions can lead to a safer, happier summer for the entire family.
Swimming Pool Safety for Children
The summer in Jacksonville is all about staying cool. Swimming is a popular activity loved by children of all ages. However, drowning is an all too common and very preventable summer risk. The first and most important rule of pool safety is that kids should never be left alone while near a pool. It only takes a minute for tragedy to strike. Swimming lessons for any appropriate aged child are a good idea, however they don’t replace supervision. A non-climbable, latched fence should encircle any pool to keep children out while unsupervised. There are even pool alarms to ensure that no one is using the pool when they shouldn’t be.
Keep Your Children Informed
Another important feature of summer safety is posting emergency numbers for children old enough to operate a phone. Though most kids already have 911 drilled into them through movies and school, it never hurts to reinforce the lesson. It’s also important for numbers, such as parents’ cells, doctor’s and a close family friend to be available for lower level emergencies.
Precautions for Neighborhood Play
Summer is a time that kids often roam their neighborhood. That can mean groups of older kids running from home to home to play with their friends. Any time children are outside of a parents immediate supervision, even briefly, it’s important for them to be aware that of a couple important safety points. Namely, they should avoid talking to strangers entirely and they need to practice road safety at all times. Parents should also make sure that their child checks in with them about where they are at any given time, rather than just allowing them out in the morning and expecting them back in the evening.
These are simple rules but when followed they lead to a much lower risk of an emergency. That in turn leads to fun summers and memories cherished for a lifetime. The health and safety of children is any parent’s first priority. Before throwing on a swimsuit or packing a picnic lunch, parents should take a few minutes to go over safety rules with their children. It will be time well spent.