Why can summer be bad for kids?
Q: I have heard summer referred to as “trauma season.” This sounds ominous. What does it mean?
A: Two weeks ago, I addressed the first part of the question on this page. In this column, I will complete the discussion with pool safety, car surfing and car seats.
In hot summer days, it is fun to be at the pool. Public pools have posted written rules that must be followed. Lifeguards monitor kids activities. It is difficult for lifeguards to see everything that is happening. They need the help of parents and grown ups. Children can slip under the water and not be noticed because of splashing and all the kids around them. Parents need to constantly monitor the whereabouts of their kids, especially the smaller ones.
Private pools have their own challenges. There are no lifeguards. Having responsible adults watching is always advisable. Whether at home or in a public pool, there are safety tips to keep in mind. When a pool is not in use, keep toys away from the pool and empty blowup pools after each use. Do not keep tricycles or other riding toys at a poolside. Kids can accidentally fall into a pool while cycling around it.
To avoid the risk of electric shock, do not keep electrical appliances near a pool. Assess with your child a pool’s depth and shape if diving is allowed, as diving is not safe at the shallow end. Above-ground pools are not safe for diving. Running on the pool deck is never safe. Having a fence at least four feet high, with a selflatching gate, increases pool safety. A gate latch should be at least 54 inches high. Chainlink fences can be climbed easily. They are not a good idea. Automatic pool covers are helpful, but they should cover the entire body of pool water so that a child cannot slip and get trapped under the cover. Pool covers should be strong enough to bear the weight of a small toddler or a pet, although they are not made for children to walk on them. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends swimming lessons for kids when they are emotionally ready. But swimming lessons do not prevent drowning; adult supervision is always needed.
Let’s switch gears and talk
about brain injury from an activity called car surfing. The term was introduced in the mid1980s and involves riding on the exterior of a moving motor vehicle while another person is driving it. Apparently, teenaged males find this activity thrilling, but falls during car surfing can lead to severe brain injury. Injury can occur even in a slow-moving vehicle. Sudden changes in speed or direction can lead to a fatal fall. So, as pediatricians, we strongly advise against car surfing.
Finally, we are reminded that children who are not in a proper car seat or sitting on a parent’s lap are at risk for severe injury in a car, especially during an accident. Car seats must be of the proper size for your child. Installing, latching and placing the seat properly in the car are also key. Avoid transporting children in a car that does not have enough car seats, even if it is for a short distance.
Make sure to graduate to a booster seat when your child outgrows their forward-facing car seat. Weight and age limits are listed on car seats. It is time for a booster seat when the child’s shoulders are above the top harness slots and the tops of the child’s ears reach the top of the forwardfacing car seat.
Due to the passengerside airbag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat. The first car seats for kids were invented in the 1930s, mostly to give height to kids while riding. Safety car seats for kids came about in 1962.
However, we still see children with severe, sometimes fatal, head injuries due to car accidents as a result of poor restraints or lack of restraints. This is why it is good to constantly remind ourselves that car seats and seat belts save lives.
Anjali Subbaswamy is a Pediatric Intensive Care Physician at UNM. Keep your questions coming our way to asubbaswamy@salud.unm.edu. For more of those safety tips in both English and Spanish, please go to this website, www. healthychildren.org.