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Keep Their Heads Above Water

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By ANGELA DELGADO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 11, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - School's out, and although some children may opt to stay in the cool air conditioning and perfect their Guitar Hero score, others will venture outdoors.

To help parents make sure their kids will make it home in one piece, Bevin Maynard, lead child advocate for St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, has a list of tips for drowning prevention, playground equipment safety, heat exhaustion, bike/scooter safety, sunscreen safety and vehicle safety.

"Summertime is the most dangerous time of year for kids - nearly half of all unintentional injury-related deaths among children occur when children are out of school," a St. Joseph's news release said.

Drowning Prevention

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children younger than 4 in Florida, Maynard said. The Sunshine State's numbers are 21/2 times higher than any other state.

"We're consistently No. 1," she said. "The reason for that is there are just so many home pools and layers of protection that aren't being used."

Maynard said parents or guardians could do simple things such as making sure the exit doors are locked, and, as a backup, install a pool fence.

"It happens really quickly," she said. "If under water anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, they can suffer long-term brain damage."

State law requires at least one of the following for home pool owners: The pool must be isolated from neighboring homes, have an approved pool cover, have an alarm installed on all doors and windows that provide direct access to the pool or have a self-latching device placed at least 54 inches above the floor on doors that have direct access to the pool, according to a St. Joseph's water safety flier.

Maynard said the biggest mistake a guardian can make is to not "actively" supervise a child. Placing children in front of a television doesn't guarantee they won't make a run for the pool.

The American Academy for Pediatrics recommends children learn how to swim at age 4, Maynard said. Although there are classes children can take before they are 4, Maynard said the academy warns parents that those courses are not enough to prevent a drowning.

Learning how to administer CPR is highly recommended.

Playground Safety

Maynard said the biggest problem with playgrounds that parents assemble is that they are a challenge to put together. If not properly assembled, they are subject to breaking. Also, the surface they are placed on is usually grass and seldom padded. If a child were to fall, there would be nothing to absorb the impact, she said.

When purchasing a playground or visiting a public one, parents should make sure to look for those that have plastic slides instead of metal ones. The metal slides have been known to burn children.

Shade is important, as is a good protective ground cover such as wood chips or rubberized matting. Also be aware of the dangers of monkey bars.

"Broken arms are pretty common," Maynard said, because kids usually try to break a fall by placing an arm out.
Heat Exhaustion Heat exhaustion can be dangerous for children, Maynard said, particularly first thing in the morning, if they aren't properly hydrated before they go out to play.

If children start feeling woozy or weak, guardians should lie them down in the shade and have them drink water, Maynard said. To prevent dehydration in children, Maynard said the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children drink 12 ounces of fluid about 30 minutes before taking part in activities. During play, they should drink 5 to 9 ounces every 20 minutes for an hour to make up for the fluid loss, she said.

"They shouldn't wait until they're thirsty," Maynard said, because that means they're already dehydrated. "Children can lose up to a quart of sweat during a two-hour sports game."

Bicycle, Scooter Safety
"In Florida, Hillsborough County is ranked third in bicycle fatalities and fifth in bicycle injuries," according to St. Joseph's officials.

Maynard said this is because the county's roads are spread out and lack adequate bike and pedestrian-friendly lanes.

To prevent injury, Maynard said the big requirement is for children to wear a helmet. It should be level on the head, and the ear clip should be right below the ear. The chin strap should also be snug enough that you can only fit one finger underneath, she said.

Elbow pads and knee pads are mostly suggested when the child is learning to ride without training wheels.

Traffic awareness is also key because there have been incidents where children are struck while riding across the road outside of a crosswalk. They should be walking their bikes across the road on a crosswalk, Maynard said.

Also, drivers should pay careful attention when backing out of the driveway.

Maynard said St. Joseph's does bicycle rodeos at Hillsborough County schools, as well as community bicycle rodeos. For information, call (813) 615-0589.

Sunscreen Safety

Children should wear an SPF factor of 15 or more, Maynard said. A misconception parents frequently have is that children don't need to apply sun protection because it's cloudy or because they are going into the water.

"Even with sunscreen on, you get sun," she said. "The big thing is reapplying. The sun's rays are extremely strong, and you can get just as much sun during a cloudy day as you can during a sunny day."

Also, "just because you're in the water does not mean you cannot get burned," Maynard said, citing a Sun Safety flier distributed by St. Joseph's. "Sun rays penetrate within 3 feet of water."

Children can also protect themselves by wearing hats and sunglasses. There are also clothes made of special material that keep the sun's rays off, she said.

Vehicle Safety

The lack of vehicle safety is the No. 1 cause of death for children, followed closely by drownings, Maynard said.

A big issue is parents not using car seats or using them incorrectly. When children are too old to use car seats but not old enough for seat belts, they should be in a booster seat, she said.

"We see a lot of injuries from seat belts," Maynard said. "We see a rise during the summer because they're out with the family, traveling."

If the seat belt is used incorrectly, a child can be ejected from the car during a serious crash. Maynard said children need to have the shoulder belt over the collarbone, and they need to have the lap portion of the belt go over the hips.

"Those are the two hardest bones," she said. "If not fitted correctly, between the ages of 4 and 8, a seat belt sits high on the belly and we see them come in with internal injuries. We call it seat belt syndrome."

For information, go to www.sjbhealth.org.

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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