Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention manager for Cook Children's Health Care System, explains that, while these may seem like gifts without much concern, it is important to understand they are vehicles. She offers families tips on how to help their children safely enjoy e-bikes and e-scooters. 

“Always wear a helmet,” emphasizes Evans.

• Always wear a helmet: Make sure you have the right helmet. For e-bikes/e-scooters that go up to 20 mph, a bike helmet is sufficient, but parents may want to invest in a stronger helmet to better protect their children.
• Perform a safety check before each ride:
  • Check the tires. Ensure they are inflated to the recommended pressure on the sidewall.
  • Check brake levers. Squeeze them while rolling the bike forward and backward to ensure the brakes engage and stop the e-bike/e-scooter.
  • Inspect your e-bike/e-scooter for loose nuts or anything that looks abnormal.
• Follow the rules of the road:
  • Always ride on the right, in the same direction as traffic. Use the bike lane if available.
  • top and look both ways before entering a street or crossing an intersection.
  • Stop at all intersections.
  • Obey all traffic lights and traffic signs.
  • Be aware of your surroundings. Do not talk on the phone or text. Do not wear earbuds; you cannot hear what is happening around you.
• Night rides: Make sure you wear bright, reflective clothing. Ensure your e-bike/e-scooter has a light and reflectors.

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Gifts from the Heart: A Child Life Specialist's Guide to Kid-Approved Homemade Presents 

The Ultimate Holiday Safety Checklist 

Know When to Use Telemedicine, Urgent Care, or the ER for Kids 

By Laura Romano, D.O., hospitalist at Cook Children's Medical Center- Fort Worth

 The season of the Great Pumpkin, falling leaves, and fun Halloween costumes has officially arrived! My kids are so excited to show off their Halloween costumes this year. If you see a Fairy Princess and Thomas the Tank Engine wandering around your neighborhood, make sure you say hi!

 As kids get ready for trick-or-treating, there are some important things parents can do to keep them as safe as possible! Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions about Trick or Treating!

 Prepare your little ones for Halloween

• Trick or treating can be fun, but slightly intimidating for little ones. Practice trick-or-treating with your kids. Have them come to your door and say “trick or treat!” and practice saying please and thank you!
• Practice handing out candy. Handing out candy is my daughter’s personal favorite. You MUST take candy from her before you are allowed to leave our yard. She will follow you.
• Talk about what they might see on Halloween and walk around the neighborhood beforehand.

For older kids

• Sending a responsible adult is always a good idea.
• Older kids who can go trick-or-treating by themselves should only visit houses they know and follow routes that are pre-approved by parents.
• They should avoid going by themselves or with just one other friend, and instead go in large groups.
• Arrange specific check-in times throughout the evening.
• If your teen is driving to a party, make sure they are driving slowly and know to watch out for little kids.

Trick or Treat: Give me something good to eat

• For little kids: Avoid candies or treats that are small and might be a choking hazard.
• Check the candy: Practice going through the candy haul with your kids before allowing them to eat any.
  • You want to look for candy that may have been tampered with or look-alike food items that might contain illicit substances like THC or CBD.
• Giving out candy: I always try to make sure we have a peanut-free option for kids! We keep a separate bowl with non-peanut candies like Skittles or Smarties.
• Allergies: Regardless of your child’s allergy status, inspect all candy before they eat any. You want to look out for food allergens like peanuts or candies that are made in nut-containing facilities.

Too much candy?

As a Reese’s lover, my answer is that there is never too much candy. However, as a mom, I try to remember that the combination of sugar, chocolate, and the excitement of Halloween can lead to an upset stomach. Try to limit the intake to just a few pieces on Halloween night.

Keep It Reel: Staying Safe in Costume

• If possible, avoid all black costumes, particularly if your kids are trick-or-treating later in the evening. Dark costumes can be hard to see in the evening.
• If your child is wearing a dark costume, make sure that your child is bringing a flashlight to help them be visible or wear glow sticks.

Electronic scooters are often considered vehicles and must adhere to traffic regulations and local ordinances. Some cities have adopted ordinances specific to e-bikes and e-scooters.

Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention manager, offers parents tips on how families can safely enjoy their e-bikes and e-scooters.

• Always wear a helmet: Make sure you have the right helmet. For e-bikes/e-scooters that go up to 20 mph, a bike helmet is sufficient, but parents may want to invest in a stronger helmet to protect their children better.
• Perform a safety check before each ride:
  • Check the tires. Ensure they are inflated to the recommended pressure on the sidewall.
  • Check brake levers. Squeeze them while rolling the bike forward and backward to ensure the brakes engage and stop the e-bike/e-scooter.
  • Inspect your e-bike/e-scooter for loose nuts or anything that looks abnormal.
• Follow the rules of the road:
  • Always ride on the right, in the same direction as traffic. Use the bike lane if available.
  • top and look both ways before entering a street or crossing an intersection.
  • Stop at all intersections.
  • Obey all traffic lights and traffic signs.
  • Be aware of your surroundings. Do not talk on the phone or text. Do not wear earbuds; you cannot hear what is happening around you.
• Night rides: Make sure you wear bright, reflective clothing. Ensure your e-bike/e-scooter has a light and reflectors.

Last year, the Cook Children's Trauma team saw 22 children, either biking or walking, who were hit by cars from August through the month of October. Eight children were hit by cars in September and 10 in October. 

But with school already started, so are the dangers of kids and cars.

Already, a teen was hit in front of a high school in Crowley. The injuries seem to be minor, but it places an emphasis on how vulnerable children are near or even in front of schools.

More children are hit by cars during September than any other month of the year, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.

“Children do not have the cognitive skills to be crossing streets safely alone until at least age 10,” said Sharon Evans, Trauma/Injury Prevention outreach coordinator at Cook Children’s. “They haven’t yet developed the depth perception or the ability to maturely judge the speed of an object.”

Kids age 10 and younger should not walk or ride bicycles, scooters or skateboards alone to school because they:

• Are easily distracted by friends and toys.
• Can’t determine the direction of sounds. Some children may be listening for sounds and may not realize that some newer model electric/hybrid may not make much of a sound at all.
• Can’t judge the speed or distance of a moving vehicle.
• Don’t understand how long it takes a vehicle to stop.
• Have too narrow a field of vision.

Even when kids reach age 10, it’s still best for parents to accompany them to school whenever possible.

Teaching Your Child Pedestrian Safety

“When I visit children who have suffered pedestrian injuries, the most common thing they tell me is that they thought the driver saw them,” explained Evans. “It’s important to teach your children that just because they see a driver, it doesn’t mean the driver sees them. They need to make eye contact with the driver and wait for the driver to stop and signal to them before attempting to cross the street.”

While teaching your children to ride their bikes or walk to school, don’t forget to tell them to cross only at crosswalks; look left, right and then left again; and to watch for cars that are turning or backing up. The best way to teach your child pedestrian and bike safety is to be a good role model yourself. It’s also a good idea to encourage your children to wear bright clothing and reflectors when they’re walking before dawn or after dusk.

"It’s important for parents to remember they are the most important models of proper pedestrian behavior for children," said Dana Walraven, Community Health Outreach manager at Cook Children’s and Safe Kids Tarrant County Coordinator. "Parents should also make sure they follow the rules when they are driving in school zones, including going the speed limit at all times through the zone and not texting or talking on the phone."

Safe Kids recommend teaching your kids these safe behaviors:

• Look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Cross when the street is clear, and keep looking both ways while crossing. Walk, don’t run.
• Understand and obey traffic signals and signs.
• Walk facing traffic, on sidewalks or paths, so that you can see oncoming cars. If there are no sidewalks, walk as far to the left as possible.

Practice safe behaviors:

• Don’t allow a child under age 10 to cross streets alone as he may not be able to fully appreciate the speed of cars on the road.
• Require children to carry a flashlight at night, dawn and dusk. Add retro-reflective materials to children’s clothing so that a child can be seen by motorists, even in the dark.
• Don’t let kids play in driveways, unfenced yards, streets or parking lots. Drivers may not see or anticipate children playing.

Interactive Infographic: How to not get hit by a car - Safe Kids Worldwide

With an average of 44 kids getting hit while walking every day in the U.S., it’s time for action. HOW TO NOT GET HIT BY A CAR is a fun new interactive infographic that guides walkers through seven common ways kids get hit by cars, and seven ways to avoid it. Parents and kids alike give it great reviews; not only do they think it’s fun to experience the action, they can usually relate to it. Try it out and see if you make any of the common mistakes when you cross the street.

Try the interactive infographic from Safe Kids

For more information

Whether it is the correct use of a child passenger seat, drowning prevention education in the schools, or providing a better awareness of poison hazards to new moms, we are working to create safe homes and communities for children.

• Bicycle safety
• Car safety
• Safe Kids Tarrant County
• CARE Team
• Drowning prevention
• Human trafficking
• Oral health prevention
• Poison prevention
• Sexting
• TV and furniture tip-overs