Safety Tips
Stay Safe Outdoors
When you’re outdoors, you could run into bugs, wild animals, poisonous plants, and other risks and dangers. Here are some safety tips to keep in mind on your adventures:
- Know the parks and places you’re going to visit before you get there.
- Follow any park rules and respect the environment. Take trash home.
- Never hike alone, and let others know where you’re going.
- Keep your valuables safe — lock your vehicle or take them with you.
- Protect yourself from the sun — wear a hat and use sunscreen.
- Stay hydrated — bring water along and drink even if you aren’t thirsty.
- Stay alert for the weather and seek safe shelter if it gets dangerous.
- Watch your step — logs, branches, roots, and rocks can trip you up!
- Poison ivy, oak, or sumac might be near a trail or post — be careful!
- Look out for wild things — spiders, snakes, bugs, and other critters.
- Keep annoying bugs away — use bug repellent spray or other products.
- Use caution around all bodies of water — ponds, rivers, and streams.
Summer Safety Tips
Summer is an exciting time of year for families, often bringing vacations, barbecues, picnics, and time away from work and school. Yet summer is also known as “trauma season” in the United States because unintentional injuries increase dramatically among children during the months of May through August. These simple steps from Safe Kids Worldwide can make a big difference in the safety of your child.
- Watch kids around water, keeping young children within arm’s reach.
- Save the Poison Help number in your phone and post it visibly at home: 1-800-222-1222.
- Remind your child to wear a properly fitted helmet when biking, skateboarding, riding a scooter on inline/roller-skating.
- Choose the right car seat for your child’s weight, height, and age. For children using a booster seat, most will need to be 57” before a seatbelt alone will fit safely across their body.
For more summer safety tips, visit SafeKids.org/safe-kids-week.
