Home > Health & Wellness > Wellness Resources > Aultman Cares for Kids Safety Tips
In partnership with MIX 94.1 FM, Aultman offers educational tips for parents and kids. Listen to the radio commercials below and read additional helpful tips from Aultman Hospital Pediatric Hospitalist Michael McCabe, M.D.
Car Safety: An accident should be – and is defined as – an unpredictable, unpreventable event that happens. Unfortunately many injuries that happen to our children are preventable.
Car seats and teaching our children proper safety around cars is very important to keeping them safe. Every year thousands of children are killed or injured in automobile accidents. When used properly, car safety seats keep your children safe. Learn more tips here too! (LISTEN)
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Nutrition: nearly one in three children in America is overweight or obese. Despite all the information available to parents, knowing what to do for your child is often confusing.
Develop a nutrition plan for your family. Planning and preparation are crucial to success in the battle against overeating or poor nutrition. Look into what you school offers in their meal plan and your children think about/plan their choices before they go. Learn more tips from Dr.McCabe here or check out this list of nutrient-packed superfoods for kids! (LISTEN)
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Helping Your Child Lose Weight (LISTEN)
A few simple tips:
• Try to limit their liquid consumption to milk and water. Juices and sugar-filled sodas are empty calories that no one in the house needs.
• Help children decide if they are eating because of physical hunger or emotional hunger. Review the signs of physical hunger with them: growling tummy, irritable, shaky, headache, etc.
Also download these in-depth, printer-friendly articles with lots of tips. Share with other parents too!
Did you know that Aultman offers an educational program called "Fun 2 B Fit?" It teaches kids ages 8-15 and their parents how to live a healthier lifestyle. Call 330-491-1670 to learn more.
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Hand Washing: It's that time of year again: cold and flu season. Get tips from Dr. McCabe on how to keep your kids healthy this fall and winter. Also, be sure to check out Freddie's Flu-fighter's Club for videos, trading cards, coloring sheets and much more. (LISTEN)
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Bullying and Internet Safety: Whether at school or online, bullying is a growing problem. Learn the signs of bullying and what you can do to protect your children. In addition, teach your kids to be safe online.
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Firework Safety and Environmental Hazards: nice weather opens kids up to the outdoors, an environment that they may not know well or that has changed since they were last out. (LISTEN)
Dowload this attachment to learn how to teach children about fireworks, traffic, unknown pets, sun exposure and more!
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Tobacco Safety: There are no safe levels or duration of exposure to second-hand smoke for anyone. A study done in the Pediatric Unit at Aultman Hospital found that 85 percent of children admitted for respiratory problems have regular exposure to cigarette smoke. Also, one in five, 8th grader has tried cigarettes. Talk to your children about the effects of cigarettes and nicotine. (LISTEN) Learn more tips here too!
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Gun Safety: A typical 3-year-old has enough grip strength to fire a handgun. Guns kill about 3,000 children each year less than 19 years of age. Do you know if any of the homes where your child plays or hangs out has guns? (LISTEN) Learn more tips here too!
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Water Safety: Every year, more than 3,000 Americans die of unintentional drowning; children 14 and under make up more than 20 percent of the drownings. Lack of barriers, lack of supervision, lack of proper safety equipments such as life jackets are major risk factors for kids. (LISTEN) Learn more tips here too!
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Bicycle Safety: Always wear a helmet (LISTEN)
To check a bicycle helmet for a proper fit, use these "Eyes, Ears and Mouth" check points:
- Eyes check: position the helmet on the head one to two fingers above the eyebrows. Have the child look up and he or she should see the bottom rim of the helmet.
- Ears check: make sure the straps of the helmet form a "V" under his or her ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable.
- Mouth check: have the child open his or her mouth as wide as possible. The helmet should hug the head. If not, tighten the straps. If you can put more than two fingers between the chin strap and the chin, the helmet is too loose.
In addition to understanding that helmets are essential to safety, children should also know the rules of the road:
- Try to ride on a bike trail.
- Ride on the right side of the street if you do have to ride on the street.
- Ride in a single-file line.
- Never face traffic.
- Be alert and watch for traffic.
- Always use hand signals to stop or turn when riding in traffic.
- Obey all traffic signs and laws.
- Wear all protective safety gear, such as a helmet, gloves, elbow and knee pads.
- Walk bikes across streets.
- Be sure to stop, look left, look right and look left again before you cross.
- Do not do tricks in the street.
- Do not ride in the dark.
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