The weather is getting warmer and school is out. Children everywhere will be playing outdoors more. Injuries are a part of summer life and children are particularly vulnerable. There are several things parents and caretakers can do to help minimize or eliminate summer time injuries.

The Fourth of July is another summertime favorite. Keep children away from fireworks. Small firecrackers have been known to cause severe damage to children's fingers. Even sparklers can cause superficial burns to the skin and eyes. Make sure there is an adult supervising play during this holiday as stray fireworks can propel towards a child causing burns.

Insects are a pesky menace to adults and children. Always wear insect repellant when outdoors. Mosquitoes spread viruses. Fire ants will cause blisters. Wasps, bees, hornets and other flying insects can cause minor reactions to severe allergies requiring immediate help. If your child has a known sensitivity to these insects, keep your injectable Epinephrine handy. If you don't know whether your child has any sensitivity and starts having any trouble breathing after an insect bite or sting, call 911 immediately and seek medical attention as quickly as possible.

Sunburns are a very preventable injury. Most people don't think of sunburn as an injury but it can be severe enough to cause blistering and body water loss. Make sure your child has sunscreen applied at least 15 minutes before going outdoors and re-apply often. Sweating can remove the sunscreen rather easily. Don't forget the face and ears. The skin is thinner here and will burn more easily.

Swimmers ear is a very painful condition that occurs when fungi and bacteria grow in water left in the outer ear canal. The skin in the ear canal will swell, causing sever pain at times. Always dry out the ear with a towel. You can put a few drops of isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (or even vinegar) in the ear to help dry it out. Avoid cotton swabs as they can further traumatize the canal skin.

Dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are varying degrees of over exposure to hot weather without proper precautions. Have your children drinking small amounts frequently while they are outdoors. If they start vomiting, seek medical attention immediately.

Every child and adult must wear a helmet if they are on a bicycle.  Start having your child wear helmets early. They will feel it is second nature to wear the helmet. Have them pick out the color they like and add stickers to personalize it. Even if they are riding in a child seat of an adult bike, they must wear their helmet! Head injuries are the most preventable injury. 

Trampolines and scooters can lead to head injuries, fractures, abdominal injuries and lacerations. All I can say is "Don't". Don’t use them and teach your children to stay away from them. They seem like so much fun but they cause an increasing amount of preventable injuries every year as they become more popular.

There will always be children. There will always be injuries. If you take the time to prepare for summertime activities you can prevent the vast majority of these injuries. Keep your children safe this summer....and have a good time! Stay out of the Emergency Departments and doctors offices. Those are not as much fun.

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