That’s the simple message that the folks at Cook Children’s who watch out for your kids’ safety wants you to know.

From March 14 to April 10, 2018, five children were rushed to the Emergency Department for drowning, with one resulting in death.

“There is no amount of time that it’s safe to leave your child alone in the tub,” said Magdalena Santillan, Trauma Injury Prevention specialist at Cook Children’s.

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in children ages 1 to 4 years old and the second leading cause of unintentional injury related death for ages 1 to 14.

“Safety begins in the home,” said Dana Walraven, manager of Community Health Outreach at Cook Children's and coordinator of the Safe Kids Tarrant County Coalition. “Bath time is not only a good time to bond with your baby, but a dangerous time in and around water. Support safe habits with adult, not sibling, supervision.”

SafeKids Tarrant County, led by Cook Children’s, gives these facts:

• Drowning is quick and silent.
• Children can drown in as little as one inch of water.
• Irreversible brain damage occurs in as little as 4 minutes.

To protect your child from drowning in the tub:

1. Never leave your child unattended in the water.
2. Put the cell phone away. Give your child 100 percent of your attention.
3. The job of supervising a child in the pool is for adults only and not siblings. A child or even a teen should not be held responsible for supervising a child in the bathtub.
4. If you have to answer the door or the phone, take your baby out of the water and hold him or her while you do so.
5. Fill the tub only with enough water to cover the infant's legs.
6. Once the bath is over, immediately drain the tub.
7. Don't rely on bath rings or seats to keep a baby safe.
8. Store empty tubs, buckets, containers and wading pools away after use. Store them upside down and out of a child’s reach.
9. Keep doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed.
10. Learn CPR for infants.

Learn more at safekids.org.

"Parents may think buying costumes that are too big allow children to wear the costumes for several years, but outfits that are too big can cause falls," said Dana Walraven, manager of Community Health Outreach at Cook Children's and coordinator of the Safe Kids Tarrant County Coaltion.

Use these tips as your kids are preparing for Halloween:

1. Select costumes that fit well.
2. Trick-or-treat with your children.
3. To help drivers see kids in the dark, put reflective tape at the top and bottom of costumes. This lets drivers better see your kids' height and movement.
4. Use face paint instead of masks so trick-or-treaters' vision isn't blocked.
5. Plan a familiar trick-or-treating route on safe, well-lit streets, use sidewalks and cross the street at intersections.
6. When crossing the street, use the crosswalk and make eye contact with the drivers so you know they see you and your group.
7. Use a flashlight or glow stick to light the way.

For more safety information

Being a parent is tough. We want you to know that you are not alone. We've compiled tips, resources and practical advice on a variety of safety and prevention topics designed to help you raise a safe and healthy family.

Last year, 24 kids died in the U.S. and from 1998 to present, 676 children have died.

“What’s heartbreaking is that this is a serious public health issue that is totally preventable,” said Dana Walraven, Community Health Outreach manager at Cook Children’s and Safe Kids Tarrant County Coordinator. “Every mom and dad out there must realize it can happen to you. Texas leads the nation in child heat-related car deaths.”

Parents may mistakenly think they can safely leave a child in a vehicle for a “quick” errand, but that’s simply not true. Temperatures inside the car can be 20 or more degrees hotter than the temperature outside, rising to dangerous levels in minutes. Unfortunately, it only takes a few minutes for tragedy to occur.

Safe Kids Worldwide says that heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children.

“Heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults,” Walraven said. “When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature may increase 3 to 5 times faster than that of an adult. This could cause permanent injury or death.”

Heatstroke, or hyperthermia, occurs when the body isn’t able to cool itself quickly enough and the body temperature rises to dangerous levels.

Safe Kids recommend the “ACT” method to prevent tragedy to your child or to a child you see left in a car:

• A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own.
• C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.
• T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

It’s difficult to think that as parents, we could “forget” our children, but it happens each year with no exception to socioeconomic or education level. Often times, a change in routine, a distraction along the way, or the event a child falls quietly asleep, unseen, in the back seat, allows for a parent/caregiver to “forget” and leave a child in the car.

Here are some important tips to help prevent unintentional injury to your child:

1. Dial 911 if you see an unattended child in a car. Sometimes, people don’t want to get involved or just assume the parents are on the way out. But as you read earlier, it doesn’t take long for a child to die in a hot car. If you see a child or children alone in a car without an adult, call 911 immediately.
2. Never leave your child alone in a vehicle, even for 1 minute. Windows left slightly open will not affect rising temperatures in the car.
3. Set safe habits: leave a cell phone, purse, briefcase, etc. in the back seat before driving, forcing you to always check the back seat and see a child is/is not back there.
4. Program your cell phone and/or computer to remind you to drop off your child each day.
5. Have a plan with your daycare provider to contact you within a few minutes of being late or absent. Let your daycare know that you want them to call you if you are late or you have not called in saying your child will not be in that day.
6. Teach children not to play in any vehicle.
7. Lock all car doors, even at home.
8. If a child goes missing, always check the cars and trunks.

Learn more by clicking here. Also, visit noheatstroke.org for the latest on heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles.

For more information

Every year children are rushed to the emergency room to be treated for car related injuries, many don't even involve traffic or another car. Some injuries occur without the car ever leaving the driveway. Click here for some of the top dangers to be aware of and the key things you can do to help make your car safer for your kids.

Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of the Emergency Department at Cook Children’s, knows that guns will be a popular gift this holiday season for not only children, but for adults too.

According to the journal Injury Prevention more than one-third of American adults own a gun. Last year, Cook Children’s saw 10 total injuries related to shootings of a gun (ranging from a BB to rifle). Since 2009, Cook Children’s has seen 104 shootings and three deaths.

Dr. Warmink asks parents to explain to children that BB guns can be dangerous, with harm ranging from severe eye damage to liver and kidney injuries.

Dr. Warmink says it’s important that parents educate their children about gun safety and make sure kids know to leave the area if another child, or someone other than their parent, has a gun.

“We live in Texas and I know many kids are raised hunting and have guns in the home,” Dr. Warmink said. “But if you give your child a gun for the holidays or if the adult in the house is given a gun, it’s important to take the proper precautions. The thing we want parents to remember is to keep guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition”

1. Lock the gun and keep it out of reach of kids. Hiding the gun is not enough.

2. Unload your gun. Take all ammunition out of the firearm.

3. Store the keys for the gun in a cabinet or safe different from your household keys. Keep the keys out of the reach of children.

Along with guns and replica firearms, such as airsoft guns that use hydraulics to shoot pellets, Dr. Warmink lists these gifts as dangerous and even life threatening:

• Ripstik Casterboard, Skateboards, roller skates …
• Pull toys with strings over 12 inches
• Trampolines
• Backyard playground equipment
• Hard plastic swords

Sharon Evans, Trauma/Injury Prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s, knows that owning a bike or scooter is part of growing up. But she encourages parents to take the proper precautions before placing wheeled gifts under the tree.

“Parents, please don’t forget a helmet for all riding toys,” Evans said. “Make sure the helmet is on properly and read the instructions.”

For younger children, Dana Walraven, manager of Community Health Outreach at Cook Children's and coordinator of the Safe Kids Tarrant County Coalition, warns parents to be aware of any small parts or potential choking hazards from their own toys or perhaps older siblings.

“The holidays can be an especially dangerous time for the little ones,” Walraven said. “Pick out toys and activities that will be appropriate for their age. On Christmas, designate an adult to supervise the children. It’s surprisingly easy to lose track of small children and with just a little planning we can keep choking hazards away from them. When it comes to young children, preparation is key.”

Dana Walraven, manager of Community Health Outreach at Cook Children's and coordinator of the Safe Kids Tarrant County Coalition, gives these 5 tips:

1. Preparation is key. Plan ahead to see how many and how old the children are that will be at Thanksgiving. Then, pick out toys/activities appropriate for several ages and keep the others out of reach.

2. Create an activity area for children to play, equipped with appropriate toys and activities.

3. Designate an adult to supervise the children. Adults can share this responsibility to reduce holiday stressors

4. Do a quick walk-thru to identify any red flags throughout the home, and in children’s reach: whether it be toys, poisons/medications, unsafe electrical outlets, doors accessing pools, etc.

5. Always ask guests to lock their car doors, so children don’t play hide and seek and get locked inside. Child heat stroke can occur even during cooler months.​

About the source

Dana Walraven is the manager of Community Health Outreach at Cook Children's and coordinator of the Safe Kids Tarrant County Coalition. Being a parent is tough. We want you to know that you are not alone. We've compiled tips, resources and practical advice on a variety of safety and prevention topics designed to help you raise a safe and healthy family. Visit our Cook Children's Safety and Prevention Center today.

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

Since Oct. 1, 2014 to present, 40 drownings have been seen here and three of them have been fatal.

Those numbers are chilling and once again place an emphasis on water safety in the area.

Dana Walraven, community health outreach manager for Cook Children’s, wants to make sure that parents are prepared for warm weather and children in the water. She said the safety begins with making sure a grownup is watching the kids in the water at all times.

“Active adult supervision and layers of protection such as door alarms and a fence can lower the risk for your child,” Walraven said. “The majority of these water-related incidents happen in the child’s own backyard pools and to children 4 years old and younger. Drowning prevention around the pool starts with adult supervision.”

Children are protected by layers of protection by using these safety techniques whenever children are around the pool:

· Always have adult supervision present when children are swimming or around pools.

· A fence with a locking gate should surround the pool.

· Install door alarms to alert adults when a child is entering the pool area.

· Require life jacket use for non-swimmers.

· Enroll children in swimming lessons.

· Parents and caregivers should undergo CPR training.

In nearly nine out of 10 child drowning –related deaths, the parent or caregiver said the child had been with them in the house or pool within five minutes of the accident. Walraven says she knows it is difficult to supervise children 100 percent of the time. She said the levels of protection provide barriers in case the child should slip out of supervision.

Safe Kids Tarrant County, led by Cook Children’s, also offers Water Watcher tags to anyone or group who will use or distribute them. These are especially helpful at parties around the pool or lake to help designate adults that are watching the water. After 15 minutes, the tag is given to another responsible adult – letting everyone enjoy the party while ensuring that the kids are being properly watched. To receive a Water Watcher Tag, call 682-885-4244.

In large pools, it’s ideal to split up in groups and take sections of the pool.

“If you are somewhere where children are in the pool, insist that an adult be on watch,” Walraven said. “It should be done by a sober adult and that should be his or her only focus during their time watching the kids.”

Aside from supervision, four-sided isolation fencing with self-closing/self-latching gates is the best protection for your child and pets. It could prevent 50-90 percent of childhood drowning and near-drowning incidents. This type of fencing goes beyond the yard, to fencing in the pool itself, preventing direct access from the house.

Door and gate alarms give another signal that a child may have access to the pool area without supervision. The tendency is to disconnect it – especially at parties where people are going in and out. But these are also the times when small children are the most vulnerable for injury because of the confusion.

Learning CPR can save a child’s life by restoring breathing and circulation until advance life support can be given by health care providers.

Swim programs for children should teach good water safety behaviors in and around the pool but should not be seen as the sole way to decrease the risk of drowning.

Use a U.S. Coast Guard approved lifejacket with children who can’t swim. It should fit snugly when the child is buckled in and should not go beyond the top of the ears when lifted at the shoulders. Many air-filled, float-type toys are thought to be lifesavers but are not.

Check your pool and spa for cracked or broken drain covers on a regular basis. The suction around the drain can catch hair or clothing, pinning the child underwater. Anti-entrapment drain covers are available for as low as $40 and serve as another level of protection.

Since beach balls, noodles and other toys are attractive to curious young children – put them away when not at the pool.

For more information

Cook Children's has many resources on drowning prevention, beginning here. Click the links below with downloadable information in both Spanish and English, as well as videos. 

• Drowning prevention tips - English
• Drowning prevention tips - Spanish
• Water safety resources
• Drowning prevention education (English and Spanish)

Videos:

• Pool safety video step 1: Supervision
• Pool safety video step 2: Fencing
• Pool safety video step 3: Pool and spa covers
• Pool safety video step 4: Alarms
• Pool safety video step 5: Safety drain covers
• Pool safety video step 6: Swimming lessons
• Pool safety video step 7: Learning CPR
• Safe Kids Tarrant County Drowning Prevention Tips
• Safe Kids Tarrant County sugerencias de prevención de ahogamientos