Safe Kids Week: April 26 - May 4, 2008

Safe Kids Worldwide is an international organization dedicated to preventing children's death due to accidents and injuries. About 1 million kids die each year from accidents and injuries, higher than any other cause. In the US, Johnson & Johnson has been a founding sponsor of the organization, and combined efforts have resulted in a 45% reduction in fatalities over the past 20 years. We still have more to do:

• Car crashes remain the #1 killer of kids age 3-14
• seat belts and car seats that fit are life-savers. Consult your fire department, health department, or local hospital if you have any questions about yours
• Falls are the #1 cause of accidental injuries - especially to toddlers. A local child just died falling out of a window against a screen that gave way.
  
• Keep kids away from open windows, balconies, roofs, parking lots and drive ways.
• Put window guards on all windows above the first floor.
• Kids under age 5 are twice as likely to die in a fire as the rest of us.
  
• Keep matches and lighters away from all kids under age 13
• Practice escape plans with your kids, even waking them in the middle of the night so they "Know the Drill"
  
• Do not hold children while you are cooking or drinking hot liquids
• Traffic threats exceed a child's cognitive and developmental abilities to process and adults tend to overestimate kid's abilities (especially those who are large and verbally precocious for their age)
• children under age 11 can not cross the street without adult supervision
• remember - adults behind the wheel are only focused on getting to their destination as quickly as possible. We see parents hitting kids with cars on school property all the time...
• 90% of all poisonings happen at home and 1.2 million kids were poisoned in 2006
• kids are curious - it's how we learn
• with so many toxic substances available on the market, you have to be vigilant about keeping everything out of a kid's reach
• Suffocation and strangulation are real possibilities with drawstring jackets and blind cords.
  
• Keep strings tied up and out of harms way.
  
• babies don't need pillows - keep them out of the crib
• Infants under age 1 drown in bathtubs and buckets of water
• use a special baby tub to bathe the baby and NEVER leave the baby unsupervised!
• Kids age 1-4 drown in residential swimming pools - keep your eyes on them & keep them out of the deep end. Don't get distracted by anything.
• Older kids drown in open bodies of water - make sure they have life jackets that fit.
• All kids over age 4 should know how to swim.
• Snug fitting helmets are mandatory for kids when biking, skating or on a scooter. 85% of disabling injuries with this activities are head injuries.

Thanks garry kinneys photostream for use of photo Fishing at the Lake.