Come celebrate with us! This year marks the 20th anniversary of Parachute Safe Kids Week, a national awareness campaign developed to bring attention to predictable and preventable injuries in children. Parachute Safe Kids Week 2016 is focused on the top injury issues that affect children ‘At Home, At Play, and On The Road.’
Over the past two decades, preventable injury deaths and hospitalizations have been on a downward trend. A decade ago, 390 children aged 14 and under died from preventable injuries; today, that number has declined to an average 210 children per year. Parachute continues to make strides in closing the gap on childhood injuries, but there’s room for improvement. You can help reduce predictable and preventable injuries in children. Start by taking part in Parachute Safe Kids Week, happening May 30 – June 5, 2016 in communities across Canada.
Keep kids safe At Home, At Play, and On The Road with these tips:
At Home
✦ Falls: Use wall-mounted baby gates, window guards and non-slip mats and never use baby walkers with wheels. They’re banned for sale in Canada.
✦ Choking/Strangulation: Bite-sized pieces are best for young children. Keep objects like small toys, coins and batteries away from children and make sure to cut or tie up window blind cords or use cordless blinds.
✦ Poisoning: Keep medications, cleaning products and other potential poisons under lock and key and away from a child’s reach. Even a small amount of medication can harm a child.
✦ Burns: Install and check home smoke alarms regularly and keep fire extinguishers in accessible locations. Avoid heating baby food and bottles in the microwave and place lids on hot liquids; tea and soup can easily burn a child’s skin.
✦ Water Safety: Test tap water temperature by placing your elbow in the water and mix it to rid of any hot spots. The maximum delivery temperature of your taps/hot water should be 49 degrees Celsius. Always supervise children in and around water; they can drown quickly and silently.
At Play
✦ Concussion: Recognize signs & symptoms of concussion; it can happen even without a direct hit to the head. Use correctly fitted protective equipment.
✦ Playground: Choose playgrounds with a deep soft surface to better protect from falls. Children under 5 should play on equipment lower than 5 feet (or 1.5 metres.) Remember to remove clothing that might get caught in equipment, like drawstrings and scarves.
✦ Water Safety: Swimming pools should have a 1.2 metre (4 foot) high fence with selflatching gate. young children should always wear life jackets near water.
On The Road
✦ Car Safety: Check car and booster seats to ensure they’re installed correctly and are the right fit for a child’s height and weight. Most children shouldn’t use a seatbelt alone until at least age 9.
✦ Pedestrians: Walk with young children to teach them how to navigate roads safely.
✦ Bike Safety: Wear a correctly fitted helmet, use bike lanes and be visible. Children learn safe riding practices through adult behaviour.