9 Crucial Home Summer Safety Tips

As the temperatures start to rise during the summer, unfortunately the number of child-related accidents do too. Between the months of May and August unintentional child injuries or death traditionally increase in areas including drowning, biking falls and motor vehicle accidents. Worse yet, many of these incidents could be avoided if proper protocols were followed.

Alice Cooper once eloquently stated ‘School’s Out For The Summer’, but we’re still here to teach you 9 essential tips & tricks to keep your loved ones safe this summer season.

• • Pool Safety
    If you are a pool owner, it is important you take the necessary precautions to keep your kids safe this summer. Make sure your pool has a auto-locking gate and always double check that it is locked tight, unable to be opened by small children. To take the extra step, consider a pool alarm that will notify you if something large enters your pool. Also, it is important that all pool chemicals and cleaning equipment are locked away out of reach to kids.Lastly, when the pool is in use, establish rules like no running and make sure that everyone using your pool understands that they cannot dive head first into the water (unless diving from your deck into 9+ ft of water).

• • Lawn Mower Safety
    Before mowing the lawn make sure your children are inside or at a safe distance away from the area you will be mowing. If using a riding lawn mower, you should never let your child ride as a passenger or be towed along in a cart or wagon. It is also important to explain to them that the lawn mower is not a toy and even when it is turned off or not in use there should be no jumping, sitting or playing on it.

• • Sun Safety How To Prevent Your Kids From Getting Sunburn
    Did you know that 80% of the sun’s UV rays can pass through clouds? That’s why it is important for your kids to use sunscreen, SPF of 15 or higher, on sunny days and overcast days to avoid serious sunburns. Also, making sure that they wear proper clothing that protects any exposed skin, and sunglasses or a wide brimmed hat to cover commonly burned places like the face, ears and neck.

• • Teaching Your Kids To Stay Alert
    Digital distractions are at an all-time high and it is important to make sure your kids understand the proper procedures to stay alert and safe this summer. At crosswalks, even when the walk signal is on, children should make eye contact with the driver to ensure they are paying attention and can see them before proceeding. Kids also need to stay aware of their surroundings when at the playground or park, making sure to never leave the area and stay where an adult can see them. If they feel uncomfortable or are approached by a stranger make sure they immediately seek safety and warn an adult.

• • Keeping Your Kids Safe From Ticks & Lyme Disease
    Summer is all about being outside and enjoying the warm weather — for both humans and ticks. Lyme disease can be spread by Deer Ticks and can cause serious illness if not treated. On average, there are 300,000 confirmed cases of Lyme disease, 25% of which are children. To help prevent your child from getting bit you can use chemicals like Permethrin on clothing or any insect repellent that contains DEET. If you are going for a hike in the woods, try to cover as much skin as possible by tucking in pants and shirts and make sure to regularly inspect both children and pets for ticks after any outdoor excursions.

• • Keeping Children Away From Poisonous Summer Plants
    For most children, summer is the season where they spend the most time outdoors. While an active lifestyle is important, it is also critical to be aware of wild plants that could cause serious illness if ingested or touched. Make sure your child doesn’t sample any berries from plants such as the Holly or Dogwood as these may look edible to them. Also, make sure they stay out of wooded areas that may have poison ivy, hogweed or cow parsnip. If you are unsure of what these plants, look do your homework below and teach your children to avoid unknown plants:
    NY DOT Dangerous Plant Page
    NY DEC Harmful Plant Page

• • Grilling Up Summer Safety.
    Grilling, picnics and eating outdoors are synonymous with summer — safety should be too. When using your grill, you want to make sure it is positioned away from child play areas and foot traffic and educate your kids on grill safety. In addition, keep any matches, lighter fluid and other grilling equipment in a safe place out of reach to children. If you have a grill that connects directly to a gas line consider a shutoff timer, as a mistaken turn of a knob can cause a massive hazard.

• • Keeping “Track” of your kids this summer
    Worried about the whereabouts of your children? You can put those fears to rest by using technology to share locations using GPS. Google Maps will allow your children to share their location with you. Simply click the top left nav in Google Maps and choose “Location sharing” and then assign permissions. Other advanced GPS Tracking apps like ‘Family Locator’ (Android | iOS) help by adding alerts when someone is on the move. There are also physical tracking products available, like Tile, that can help transmit locations – no phone required.

• • Keeping The 4th Of July Festivities Fun
    4th of July is full of excitement and fun for the kids … and fireworks.  It’s important to make sure your child understands the dangers of fireworks, poppers, sparklers and any other Independence Day goodies. If you do let your child use sparklers or any other fireworks, make sure you are there to assist and teach them to not point at others or themselves. It’s important to properly store, use or destroy any leftover fireworks that you may have once July 5th rolls around.

Awareness is the best defense when it comes to unintentional injuries and one of the most important tools in your safety toolbox. Acknowledging these necessary precautions and preventive measures will help you, and your loved ones, avoid the increased risk that the summer season brings.

“Cow Parsnip” by USFWS Midwest Region is licensed under CC BY 2.0