Summer Home-Safety Tips

Whether the kids are playing an old-fashioned game of chase, climbing around on the backyard apparatus, or taking a swim, think about what types of injuries are possible, how to prevent them, and what to do if one does happen.

Basic backyard safety
Here are some great ways to keep everyone safe while playing in the house or backyard.

• Make rules for games like chase that says pushing is not allowed.
• Check the play area for hazards such as tree roots under an apparatus or sharp corner of a coffee table.
• Always supervise young children around stairs or backyard jungle gyms.
• Install stair gates to prevent accidental falls.
• Use protective gear such as bicycle helmets or skateboarding pads to minimize injuries if your child falls.
• Learn the signs and symptoms of a concussion that include headaches, dizziness, slurred speech, confusion, and balance problems.

Swimming pool safety
If you have a swimming pool, be diligent about maintaining it and teaching – and enforcing – pool safety rules. Educate yourself about basic lifesaving techniques, and know the signs of drowning and dry drowning.

Here are some basic pool safety tips from poolsafety.gov:

• Never leave a child unattended in or near water.
• Teach your children to swim.
• Teach children to stay away from drains, and make sure that all pools and spas have compliant drain covers.
• Install proper barriers, covers, and alarms on and around your pool and spa, and check that all are functioning correctly.
• Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.

First aid
Make sure to have a well-stocked first-aid kid on hand. While most cuts and scrapes will need to be cleaned out and dressed with antibiotic ointment and a Band-Aid, learn to recognize more serious injuries. If a child is unable to move a limb, they may have badly sprained something or have broken a bone. Deep lacerations may need stitches.

Kids will play and play and play. They are seemingly perpetual motion machines that don’t need to stop for anything. Don’t be fooled by their willingness to play rather than eat and drink something. During the hot summer months, kids are susceptible to dehydration, sunburn, and heat stroke.

Here are some ways to keep kids safe while playing outside (and getting that much needed fresh air):

• Use a waterproof sunscreen with a minimum SPF 15 with both UVA and UVB protection. Reapply generously every few hours. Take a cool shower to reduce the effects of a mild sunburn.
• Stop play every hour to have a cool drink and light snack.
• Wear loose clothing that is light in coloring to reflect the heat.
• Try to avoid the prime heat of the day.
• Learn the signs and symptoms of heat stroke that include flushed skin, racing heart, headache, high body temperature, hot and dry skin.

The rule of thumb is that if you wait until you are thirsty to drink water, you’re already dehydrated. Turn on the sprinklers and let the kids cool off by playing in them and enjoying their favorite thirst quenchers.

California mom of two Lynn Porter offered this tip to Mom.com. “We keep cool by making juice pops. The kids love a treat they made themselves and it’s so easy to do.”

Something that comes with summer is bugs. Bugs can be especially problematic for kids with allergies. And even those without allergies will still have the fun spoiled when attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. Learn to reduce bugs and what to do if you get a bug bite.

“The two bugs parents should be the most concerned with are mosquitoes and ticks. Both of these bugs bite, feed on blood, and transmit nasty diseases," Derek Gaughan from Bug Lord Pest Control told Mom.com. "What else they have in common is they're attracted to humans mostly through scent. They smell the CO2 we exhale as well as our sweat — that’s what drives them to bite us."

Here are ways to reduce and deal with bugs:

• Make sure there is no standing water near the house where mosquitoes can breed.
• Spray your yard for ticks, and check kids for ticks when they come in from playing outside.
• Try not to have pollinator plants near the kids apparatus to reduce the chances of bee stings.
• Be on the lookout for wasp nests under eaves and near patio furniture.
• Check the apparatus, outside toy bins, and play areas for spider webs where black and brown widows lurk.

Pro tip: If someone is stung by a bee, don’t try to pull the stinger out with tweezers because this will only squeeze more venom in. Instead, slide a credit card along the skin to lift the stinger out without squeezing the venom sac. Ice the area to reduce swelling and pain.