Summer Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Nemours Blog

CORONAVIRUS

Summer Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic

3 min read
Guest Contributor
Summer Safety During COVID-19 Pandemic

Kids are kids: they’re going to fall, crash, and slip and get lots of bumps and bruises. With an outbreak like we’ve experienced in 2020, there are even more risks to the health and safety of your children, especially during an unusual summer holiday.

There are actions we can all take to ensure that children have fun this summer while avoiding serious injuries and illnesses. A compilation of resources is below to keep your kids safe this summer and all year long.

Safety in Your Home

We typically think of our homes as safe space for our children to play, spend time with the family, and relax; however, your home contains multiple objects that can cause injuries to your kids and lead to anything from falls to suffocation.

Here are steps that you can take to prevent accidents in your home:

Water Safety

Every day in the US, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children age 14 or younger. Drowning is the leading cause injury death for those 1 to 4 years. Water safety comes down to this: Kids should always be supervised around water, no matter what their swimming skill levels. Below are several resources to help keep your kids safe in the water this summer.

Safety Out and About

When your children venture outdoors, the risk for accidents increases. Here are several ways to help protect them outside your home.

Preventing and Treating COVID-19

While some children and infants have been sick with COVID-19 and suffered complications from the virus, very few have been hospitalized, and adults still make up most of the known cases to date.

The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar in children and adults; however, children with confirmed COVID-19 have generally shown mild symptoms that look like the flu, such as fever, shortness of breath and cough. Abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and headache have also been reported.

If your child shows the common symptoms of COVID-19, call your health care provider immediately.

Very rarely, children who have contracted COVID-19 have gotten multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Learn the signs of MIS-C.

Below are tips to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

More Ways to Keep Kids Happy and Healthy

Continue the conversation with your children about the new normal, so they can stay happy and healthy throughout the summer and beyond.

Help your child stay active while being out of school during the summer.

  • Encourage physical activity by getting your kids to go outside and play — it’s great for physical and mental health.
  • Use indoor activity breaks (stretching and dancing are fun!) throughout the day to help your child stay healthy and focused.

Make sure your kids keep eating healthy as they adjust to life during an outbreak.

Guest Contributor
Topics: Coronavirus Staying Safe
Guest Contributor

Like and follow Nemours on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Related Articles

Holidays and the Pandemic: 5 Ways to Avoid a Recipe for Weight Gain

STAYING HEALTHY

Holidays and the Pandemic: 5 Ways to Avoid a Recipe for Weight Gain

Kids tend to gain more weight during extended breaks from school, like over the summer. We’ve seen a similar trend when COVID-19 restrictions were in place. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed kids gained weight more quickly during the early months of the pandemic as compared to the previous year. There are many reasons why, but it seems without the structure of school many kids eat more and move less. The COVID-19 pandemic really messed up our daily routines. School closures, remote work, and stay-at-home orders meant going to bed later, eating at different times, snacking more, being less active, and spending more time in front of screens. This fall, things started to get back to normal as children returned to school and other activities. But just as we have gotten back into our routines, here come the holidays. Holiday weight gain is […]

FEATURED POST

Just Keep Dancing — Summer’s Story

Tammy noticed her daughter’s size difference from a young age. Summer was consistently smaller than her peers growing up, but her parents and pediatrician never suspected a serious issue. When Summer was about 7 years old, the family took a trip to Disney. Unlike their previous vacations, Tammy and Erik realized that Summer was struggling to keep up. This behavior was concerning because it was not the norm for their bubbly, energetic daughter. Unfortunately, Summer’s limp worsened, she experienced immense stiffness and hip pain, and she struggled to do what she loves most: dance. After an attempt at physical therapy, many x-rays and testing, Summer was diagnosed with Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia (MED) in August 2020. MED is a rare genetic disorder that effects the development of the joints in the legs. Her doctors recommended Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware to see orthopedic surgeon Dr. Will Mackenzie and orthogeneticist Dr. Mike Bober. […]

Fire Safety: What to Know in Case of Fire

SAFETY & PREVENTION

Fire Safety: What to Know in Case of Fire

Did you know that winter months are peak time for fire-related deaths? In the event of a fire, you may have as little as two minutes to escape. Home and apartment fires can start and spread quickly. It is important to create a fire escape plan and practice it regularly with your family. Create a Fire Escape Plan The best way to start planning a fire escape plan according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is to draw a map of your home or apartment showing all doors and windows. The NFPA says families should: Plan two ways to escape from each room. Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily. Identify secondary routes: a window onto an adjacent roof or a collapsible ladder from a second-floor window. If you live in a multi-story building, plan to use the stairs – never the elevator. Designate an outside meeting […]