Protecting their children is a non-stop job for parents, but there are some situations and seasons that require extra vigilance. Children’s Hospital of Illinois (CHOI) Advocacy Manager Lori Fuller is a child safety expert and offered tips for parents, grandparents, and caregivers to ensure safety through every stage of a child’s life.
Fuller, who oversees the CHOI injury prevention and community health education programs, collaborates with a variety of individuals and agencies to spread the word about safety. “On a day-to-day basis, I work with hospital staff, community organizations, and state and national organizations to develop and promote programs including child passenger safety, bike safety, shaken baby syndrome prevention, and safety in the home, to name a few,” she said. “These programs are designed to educate children, parents, teachers, and the general public about what to do to keep kids healthy and safe from injury.”
As we approach summer, Fuller said there are specific steps caregivers should take to prevent injury during warm-weather activity. “Summer safety for children includes safety in and around water and protection from heat and sun.”
• Supervise children near water at all times, including small pools, wash buckets, and bathtubs.
• Teach children how to swim.
• If your child doesn’t know how to swim, don’t rely on water wings or floating rings to keep your child safe. Always supervise.
• When boating, use Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices for you and your children.
• Never leave your child alone in the car, even for a moment.
• Protect your child from the sun. Babies shouldn’t be exposed to the sun. Children should wear a minimum of SPF 30 sunscreen, and it should be reapplied every hour.
• Keep your child hydrated and out of the sun on days when the heat index is high.
With summer vacation also comes more bike riding, which is good for a child’s health if done with proper precautions, she said. “Always make sure your child wears a comfortable and well-fitting helmet. The helmet meets federal safety standards if it has the label of an independent testing lab on the inside. Make sure all safety gear—elbow pads, kneepads, etc.—fit properly. Teach children basic bike safety skills including hand signals and coming to a complete stop before crossing driveways, paths, and sidewalks. And make sure tires are properly inflated and in good repair.”
A common source of injury—or worse—year round are young children left unsupervised for any length of time. “As parents, common sense tells us that if we keep an eye on our children or make sure they’re supervised, they’ll be safe,” Fuller said. “Sometimes well-intentioned parents, when busy and distracted, do make the mistake of leaving their small child unattended for a few seconds while they run into the store, run downstairs, or run inside. If there’s a chance that leaving a child unattended for a few seconds could lead to danger, don’t do it.”
Although parents are more informed today about the dangers of children’s products and gear, Fuller said there’s no guarantee that what you bring home from the store is completely risk-free. “I believe when products and toys are labeled ‘safe’ that many consumers—including parents—assume the manufacturer has met the testing requirements to be able to label it as a safe product. This isn’t always true, as we know from products that have been recalled or pulled from the market because of injuries to children.”
From the very beginning of life, car seat safety is key. “All parents and grandparents need to be aware of the child passenger safety laws in Illinois and know how to select and install the appropriate child safety seat in their vehicle so their children and grandchildren are riding safely,” she said. “Illinois law states all children under age eight must be restrained in an appropriate child safety seat. Child safety seats include infant seats, convertible seats, booster seats, and combination seats. The parent or legal guardian of a child under eight is responsible for providing a child safety seat to anyone who transports his or her child. Children and youth eight to 16 years of age must be secured in the vehicle with a safety belt.”
Fuller said experience shows that in Peoria, there’s a 75 to 90 percent misuse rate for child passenger safety seats. “Common mistakes include seats not being secured tightly in the vehicle, children not secured correctly in the safety seat, or the seat being the wrong type or size for the child. Children’s Hospital of Illinois and the Peoria Area Safe Kids Coalition hold regular community car checks so parents can drive in and have their seat checked by a trained child passenger safety technician. Children’s Hospital of Illinois is committed to making sure all child patients leaving our facilities are riding home safely. We provide ongoing training to nurses and parents, and we have safety seats available for parents to purchase. For children with special medical needs, we have a car seat loan program, where special seats are loaned to parents for a limited time. Advocacy staff have completed special training to install and fit children with special medical needs to the appropriate safety seat.”
Other beginning-of-life safety issues include SIDS and shaken baby syndrome. “Educating and informing parents about the stress of being a new parent, strategies for coping with a crying infant, and choosing a caregiver for your child are important components of infant safety,” Fuller said. “Before going home from the hospital, all new parents are encouraged to view a video that covers these topics.”
Children’s Hospital has developed a series of educational guides for parents that, in addition to issues already mentioned, includes cold weather safety, medication management, Internet safety, health and nutrition, ATV safety, playground safety, and Halloween safety. “We’re also in the process of adding two new brochures—one on lead poisoning prevention and another on bullying prevention,” she said.
Fuller said the best aspect of her job is having the ability to influence others—parents, community members, medical staff—to work together to keep kids safe. “Every day is different, but it’s always about the kids. The most challenging part is ‘selling’ prevention. Unfortunately, we have to use data from childhood injuries and death to prove the need for prevention education and outreach programs. In the interest of children, I’d rather be more proactive than reactive.”
Even on the tough days, though, Fuller loves spreading the word about child safety. “We have a great community that cares about our children, but we can always do more to encourage others to be a voice for children and to put the welfare and interest of children first.”
To find out when and where to get your car seats checked, call 671-4602. TPW