With bags of candy and toys in hand, it was a beautiful day for a walk with Santa Claus. Families cautiously peeked out from their balconies and windows at first, hearing the Christmas music playing from Cook Children's Teddy Bear Transport and a loud "Ho, ho, ho!" from Santa.

For the first time, the Teddy Bear Transport team gave Santa's reindeer some extra nap time before Christmas Eve, taking Santa on a ride-along through the Las Vegas Trail Community on Saturday.

“Seeing children light up as Santa arrived in their own neighborhood was a powerful reminder that joy and connection can be created anywhere, especially when families are met with care and heart," said Sky Ramos, a community health worker at Cook Children’s Neighborhood Health Center Las Vegas Trail.

The Fort Worth Police Department guided Santa and Teddy Bear Transport through three neighborhoods: Broadmoor, Cambridge, and Casa de Los Sueños.

Children rode on their bikes, while others ran with their arms wide open; parents followed closely, carrying their babies. Santa greeted everyone while his "elves" distributed candy canes, small presents and information about the health center.

“We were handing out candy and small toys to kids and parents, but we were the ones actually receiving a gift,” said Veronica Tolley, Cook Children’s vice president of primary and specialty services. “It really hit home when one of our recently graduated students from the training center ran out of her apartment smiling ear to ear so we could see her graduation certificate.”

In true holiday spirit, Cook Children’s Health Care System showed up for its community. All goodies were prepared by Cook Children's administration, the Center for Community Health (C4CH), Cook Children’s Health Plan (CCHP), and Child Life.

It’s just one small step towards a big effort to enhance the quality of life for this Fort Worth Community. 

"It was a great morning, change takes time and we will not give up,” said Lenee Bassham, Director, Child Safety at The Center for Community Health at Cook Children's. 

For the staff on the ground, that change begins with a single point of connection. 

“Just sharing a smile and a candy cane can make a difference in one's whole mindset, for both the children and adults,” said Dana Walraven, strategic partnerships manager at the neighborhood health center. “I think we achieved that, along with letting families know about the services available.”

Santa's work is never done. He continued the celebration at the Las Vegas Trail Rise Community Center. Paige Charbonnet, executive director of LVT Rise, led her annual Christmas event, ensuring families all across the community received a bit of cheer. According to Santa, almost everyone was on the Nice List this year.

Sergeant A.S. Owen of the Fort Worth Police Department was excited to see Santa and the community gather for holiday fun.

“I can tell you that effort changed the sentiment around that neighborhood, even if it's just a little, for everyone that saw y'all and will continue to chip at that community in such a positive way year-round,” said Sgt. Owen.

Learn more about the Cook Children's Neighborhood Health Center Las Vegas Trail and its services, classes, and events click here.

Earlier this month, our patient art show kicked off our holiday celebrations! Each December, our festive patient art is displayed in the Atrium of Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth. Santa joined us this year to visit with families and paint alongside patients. It was a creative and cheerful afternoon with Santa! 

Mrs. Claus stopped by our Child Life Zone to show our patients and families how the elves make ornaments and decorate cookies in the North Pole! Everyone had a fun morning and went home with their very own copy of The Sugar Plum Bakers: A Tale of 12 Holiday Treats. 

All aboard! The Polar Express made a special stop at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth this morning to take patients and their families on a train ride to the North Pole! Everyone got to meet the Polar Express Conductor, sip on hot chocolate, create holiday crafts, pick out their own pair of pajamas to keep and make magical memories. 

Holiday cheer decked the halls of the medical center during our festive sing-a-long concert!

Ace Hardware delivered Christmas trees and holiday magic to Cook Children’s! Each patient was thrilled to create a tree of their own and decorate cookies. 

The Grinch stopped by Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. He brought lots of jokes, joy and holiday jolly. Our hearts grew three sizes! 

Santa Claus made a visit up north to Cook Children's Medical Center -- Prosper on Friday! Patients and families enjoyed creating holiday arts and crafts and visiting with Santa. Santa and Mrs. Claus made time out of their busy schedules to sit and listen with each patient, who shared what they're looking forward to this holiday season. 

It was a very Merry Cowboys Christmas this morning! The Dallas Cowboys stopped by for their annual visit with Cook Children's patients on Dec. 8, 2025. 

Football players and cheerleaders surprised patients in multiple departments at the Fort Worth Medical Center to spread some holiday cheer. Everyone was so excited to greet the team!

Each child receives a stocking loaded with goodies from the Dallas Cowboys and a special toy provided by the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation.

Under the guidance of Mrs. Gene Jones, the entire Cowboys team has conducted annual holiday visits to local children’s hospitals for the past 36 years – a very special tradition that we are all grateful to experience.

Media partners may use this content for news stories and broadcasts with credit to Cook Children's.

Measles is highly contagious; one infected person can potentially infect 12 to 18 unvaccinated individuals. The virus spreads through infectious respiratory droplets and airborne transmission (from coughing or sneezing), where tiny droplets can remain suspended in the air.

 Measles symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after infection. 

They can include:

• Rash
• Fever, sometimes over 104º Fahrenheit or 40 º Celsius
• Runny nose
• Cough
• Red, watery eyes
• Sore throat
• Tiredness

How do we stay safe?

The most effective prevention against measles is vaccination. The size of the virus makes it more contagious. Measles can live in the air in a room where an infected patient has been for two hours after that patient leaves.

This means that if ten unvaccinated children are in a room and one of them has measles, nine out of ten of them will likely catch the virus. 

In addition to getting vaccinated, the spread of measles can be mitigated by proper hygiene. This includes:

• Handwashing
• Covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
• Avoid sharing drinks or eating utensils
•  Disinfect frequently touched surfaces

What about other illnesses?

While Cook Children’s Medical Centers in Fort Worth and Prosper are not seeing an abnormal number of cases for RSV, COVID, and Flu, these illnesses can be prevented with proper hygiene as well.

It is important to speak to your primary care physician if you have any questions or concerns about vaccines. There are now vaccines to help prevent the severity of RSV, COVID, and Flu.

Where can you get immunized?
Here are a few resources and tips for finding a place to take your child for immunizations. 

• Check with your child’s doctor. Ask which vaccines are due and make an appointment. If your child needs a doctor, see our locations or call 211 for help. 
• Visit a public health vaccine clinic. Anyone from any county can call Tarrant County Public Health at 817-248-6299 to make an appointment or to find a walk-in clinic. 
• Check with your local school district for vaccine events. 
• Enter your zip code at Vaccines.gov to find other options. 
   

If a parent suspects their child may have measles, they should call the primary care doctor before arriving at the office so arrangements can be made for safety and to minimize potential exposure in the waiting room.

• Changes in routine
• Traveling
• Missing family members and loved one
• Pressures to create meaningful experiences
• Family dynamics
• Holiday shopping and gift giving

So what can parents do? How can we help our children process pressures to protect their mental health and emotional well-being?

Communicate Expectations
Planning ahead and explaining arrangements can help prepare kids for traveling, adjusting routines, meeting new people and more.

“Kids love to know what to expect,” Ashley Pagenkopf, MS, CCLS, child life specialist in Cook Children’s Emergency Department, said. “Establishing realistic expectations is the most practical tip I would offer to families. Kids thrive with boundaries and expectations.”

When visiting family and friends or even hosting a holiday reunion at home, communicating with kids about who they may meet is important.

“A huge help for kids is to have video chats with family members and friends they will see in advance,” Lisa Elliott, Ph.D., psychologist and manager of Cook Children’s Behavioral Health Clinic in Denton, suggests. “For littles, even reading books to them over video chat is a great way to engage them.”

Let your children know that feeling anxious around unfamiliar people is normal. Staying together as a family can help kids feel safe, and it’s important to remind them they can speak up if they feel uncomfortable or need a break from social gatherings.

Practice Self-Care
Managing family anxiety often begins with parents addressing their own stress.

“Kids are very good at reading adult emotions even if they are not verbally expressed, so if you are stressed out, it’s likely your child is anxious as well,” Cook Children’s psychiatrist Akemi Watkins, M.D., said. “It’s like the safety message on airplanes where you have to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before your child.”

Simple self-care practices can significantly enhance parents’ well-being. Prioritizing sleep, nutritious meals and regular exercise can make a big difference. For more information about self-care for parents, Cook Children’s has a guide of resources listed here.

Focus on Connection
One of the best ways to reduce holiday stress is to focus on connection. Finding ways to bring family and friends together can be fun and meaningful.

“I’ve had multiple kids share their favorite family traditions,” Dr. Elliot said. “Experiences like taking baked goods, lotions or other treats to a nursing home, helping in a soup kitchen serving holiday meals and even adopting a family and going shopping together for them.”

The holiday season presents an opportunity to teach children about generosity – a concept that studies show actually improves mental health. Doing things for others makes you feel good – emotionally and physically.

It also promotes empathy and resilience, which are important building blocks to emotional and mental strength and coping skills that help children deal with challenges.

Read examples of ways families can serve others together here.

The Grinch stopped by on Monday with lots of laughs to share and stories to tell. Our hearts grew three sizes! 

Santa and Mrs. Claus delivered presents, arts and crafts, and sweet treats to the Fort Worth Medical Center on Tuesday morning. Many patients also received a bike and a helmet graciously donated by Bikes For Angels. 

Santa also made time to visit the Prosper Medical Center! Patients enjoyed decorating trees, painting snowflakes, and picking out toys on Wednesday morning. 

Everyone enjoyed celebrating at the Christmas parties!

Football players and cheerleaders surprised patients in multiple departments at the Fort Worth Medical Center to spread some holiday cheer. Everyone was so excited to greet the team, especially after Thursday's win against the Seattle Seahawks!

Each child receives a stocking loaded with goodies from the Dallas Cowboys and a special toy provided by the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation.

Under the guidance of Mrs. Gene Jones, the entire Cowboys team has conducted annual holiday visits to local children’s hospitals for the past 34 years – a very special tradition that we are all grateful to experience.

Media partners may use this content for news stories and broadcasts with credit to Cook Children's.

Tears welled in his eyes as his sweet, pre-teen voice cracked, “Mamaw M died and then my friend died and now my other friend died! Plus, middle school is a lot different than elementary school! This year has just been hard and sad. I thought being a kid was supposed to be fun. This is the worst year ever, Mom!”

Sadness. Grief. Uncertainty.

Death is hard. Change is hard. The two often go hand-in-hand, especially during the holiday season, when kids are practically indoctrinated that winter holidays should be the highlight of their year, filled with brand new gifts, unlimited candy, and family traditions that make the eyes roll while their hearts burst with joy.

Just like being a kid is supposed to be fun, holidays are supposed to be fun. Holidays after the death of a loved one, however, are reminders that life is different now. Holidays highlight who is missing.

When someone is missing, sadness, grief, and uncertainty reappear year after year. It can be exhausting, especially if you are also grieving. You may grieve differently than the tween working to make meaning of multiples deaths and the new stress of middle school, and that’s OK. Everyone grieves differently and copes in their own way. 

Speaking to your children

Younger children often don’t have the verbal skills to express their grief and feelings. Instead, you might see their grief shown through an increased want for physical touch and reassurance, tantrums, regression, and the overall need to move their little bodies a lot! Caregivers can support young children by:

• Keeping the child’s routine as normal as holiday observations allow,
• Prioritizing one-on-one time with the child.
• Providing activities that promote physical movement. Keeping naptime in place and setting aside 20 minutes to play at the park are great ways to support a young, grieving child.

Older children who are grieving may approach holiday gatherings with a quiet, reflective spirit or they may share their feelings with any and every person they encounter, asking questions about death and dying, and talking very directly about the death. 

Caregivers can support older children by simply being present and allowing them to talk it out or sit with them in the silence. This crafty age group often find meaning in creating an art project or participating in rituals that honor the memory of their loved one. Drawing a picture, leaving an empty seat at the table, making a favorite recipe, or asking people to share their favorite memory are great ways for older children to process their grief throughout the holiday season.

The only thing more unpredictable than a teenager is a grieving teenager during the holidays. 

Teens are still learning how to cope with life in general, coping with grief is next level, especially when they are expected to show up, celebrate, and smile for the pictures. Caregivers can support grieving teens by acknowledging that it may be difficult to be around family and fostering their emerging sense of independence by working together to create expectations around holiday observations. 

Allowing teens to weigh in on when and how long they must be present, allowing them the freedom to leave and go to a friend's house when they need a break reinforces healthy coping skills as teens process their grief during this busy season.

An ongoing conversation

The holiday season may start the conversation about the grief in a child's life, but, in reality, it's an ongoing conversation. As children grow and develop physically and mentally, their conversations, understandings, and experiences of grief grow and develop too. Grief has no timeline, so if you, as a grown-up reading this, find tears welling up in your eyes and your voice cracking as you declare this is the worst time of year, know you are not broken or alone in your grief. Be gentle with yourself as you approach this holiday season. 

No matter if you are living with grief yourself, if this is your first year supporting a grieving child, or if grief has greeted every holiday in your recent memory, it's OK to miss the one who is still missing from your holidays because, no matter how many years have passed, death and change are still hard.

Football players and cheerleaders surprised patients in multiple departments at the Medical Center to spread some holiday cheer. There were extra smiles from that win over the Houston Texans!

Each child receives a stocking loaded with goodies from the Dallas Cowboys and a special toy provided by the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation.

Under the guidance of Mrs. Gene Jones, the entire Cowboys team has conducted annual holiday visits to local children’s hospitals for the past 33 years – with the last two years being held virtually due to the pandemic.

Media partners may use this content for news stories and broadcasts with credit to Cook Children's.

For the second year in a row, Randall Grubbs, M.D., neonatologist, wore a jolly red suit, white beard and proper PPE to spread holiday cheer to the babies, families and staff in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). 

“We usually see a cluster of patients from crashes in the three to four days before and after Christmas,” said Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s. “People are stressed, and it’s the height of travel season. We don’t know what it will be like this year due to the pandemic, but we know this time of year is especially dangerous.”

Since 2015, an average of 12 car wreck victims were admitted to Cook Children’s between the dates of Dec. 20-30. Out of those, three were typically not restrained with a seat belt or car seat.

“If a child is properly restrained in a car seat, we may see some cuts and bruises, but they usually ok,” said Evans. “The ones who are much more seriously injured tend to be children in seat belts who are too small and should be using a booster seat.”

In Texas, children are required to remain in a car seat until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall or 8 years old. Experts like Evans say that is the bare minimum, and it’s more important to pay attention to a child’s size than their age since seat belts are made for adults and don’t fit small bodies properly.

“When children are using a seatbelt prematurely, the belt doesn’t fit across the center of their shoulders like it should and kids will tend to put it behind their back or under their arm,” she explained. “Now, their entire upper body is unrestrained. In a crash, this means the child folds over the seatbelt.”

She says these children can suffer cervical spine injuries, as well as serious internal injuries to the spleen, liver and intestines. This is why it’s so important for children to remain in a car seat or booster seat until they fit into a seat belt. Also, any child under 13 years old should ride in the backseat.

“There are no do-overs,” said Evans. “A lot of times we see families who say their child was really tired or fussy and didn’t want to get into the car seat or they wanted to lay down. We understand how that can happen, but families need to know that kind of normal decision can affect your life forever.”

Most Dangerous State

A recent report released by Go Insurance’s partner nonprofit, Go Safe Labs, shows Texas is the least safe state in the country for children in vehicles. Between 2015-2018, Go Safe Labs found that 1,172 children were injured or killed in traffic accidents in the state, with 55% in rural areas and 45% in urban areas.

Further data from the Texas Department of Transportation shows it’s been more than 20 years since the state has seen a day without a death on its roads. November 7, 2000, marked the last time that happened. Since then, more than 70,000 people have lost their lives on Texas roads, with an average of 10 people dying every day.

“You hear about wrecks every time you turn on the news and I think we’ve almost become desensitized to them,” said Evans. “You have to remember, it could be you and it could be serious.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this holiday season could see more deaths than usual.

According to a study by the Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), the number of Texas traffic crashes in April dropped by nearly 50% compared to 2017-2019 averages. While there were fewer crashes, researchers say there was a 50% increase in traffic fatalities. They believe the data is evidence that the risk of death and injury is greater when roads are more clear, likely because people tend to drive faster with fewer cars on the road.

“There’s no way to predict what will happen this holiday season, if there will be more people on the road or less,” said Evans. “But one thing I know for sure is accidents don’t take a day off.”

What Can Parents Do?

If you are traveling with children, make sure they are restrained properly. According to Safe Kids North Texas, four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly. For this reason, they offer free car seat checks to ensure your child’s safety. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, car seat checks are being offered virtually only at this time. You can easily sign up for a check online by clicking here.

Physician names in order of appearance: 

1. Dr. Diane Arnaout
2. Dr. Alice Phillips
3. Dr. Suzanne Whitworth
4. Dr. Laurie Gray
5. Dr. Bradley Mercer
6. Dr. Daphne Shaw
7. Dr. Kim Mangham
8. Dr. Eriel Hayes
9. Dr. Angela Hippeli
10. Dr. Diane Arnaout
11. Dr. Bianka Soria-Olmos
12. Dr. Samson Cantu
13. Dr. Ramon Kinloch
14. Dr. Kim Mangham
15. Dr. Alice Phillips
16. Dr. Suzanne Whitworth
17. Dr. Michelle Bailey
18. Dr. Laurie Gray
19. Dr. Ramon Kinloch
20. Dr. Angela Hippeli
21. Dr. Bianka Soria-Olmos
22. Dr. Daphne Shaw
23. Dr. Jason Terk
24. Dr. Bradley Mercer
25. Dr. Kim Mangham

Medical Director of Infectious Diseases, Suzanne Whitworth, M.D., hosted a Q&A with reporters today about this latest update.  

What’s the capacity like at your hospital?

We have devoted 10 beds to COVID-19-infected intensive care patients. So those 10 beds are available. We have two or three of them occupied right now. I believe the most we've had occupied in the ICU with COVID-19 at one time is five. We have plenty of room to expand and we are okay. The volume of children in the hospital with COVID-19 is much less than the volume of adults. We are almost at capacity for our floor COVID-19 unit. We have 20 beds there and 17 patients in those beds, but we are already looking at which other unit we can add so that we should have plenty of room for our patients. We're not worried about running out of beds.

Just hearing the amount of children that are in the hospital is gut-wrenching enough, but I'm wondering what those children are like right now. What are their symptoms? How are they feeling?

I think our children are like most of the children hospitalized nationally. We have some children in the hospital who are not very ill. They need oxygen for a day or two, and then they go home and they're fine. We have some children who are really more ill with COVID-19 pneumonia. Those children we've been treating with remdesivir, and dexamethazone, we have some that wind up in the ICU with COVID-19 infection. We have some children who have the multi-system inflammatory syndrome, that MIS-C that you've read about. We've reported about 21 to 24 of those to the health department so far since the beginning of the pandemic. And I believe we have a couple of those kids in the hospital currently, too. Some of those children are even sicker and require ventilation in the ICU also. So it's really a full spectrum.

Did you expect this exponential growth in cases and is this something you’re anticipating going forward?

We have been very hopeful that this would not happen like all the rest of the world, but it has. And we do think that the number of children that will require hospitalization over the next few weeks or months will very likely go up. We think this will increase.

Are you planning on adding additional beds?

I think we will have to change a little bit of what we're doing. I am not fearful that we will not have enough beds, period. I think we will have plenty of beds in the hospital, but we want to maintain areas that are devoted completely to COVID-19. We have one area completely devoted to COVID-19 on the floor and one in the ICU. We're probably going to need to add another floor unit to take care of COVID-19 patients over the next few days or the next week. So we look at which units we can do that with based on air flow and staffing and those kinds of issues.

What are your feelings moving forward into the holiday as we're dealing with this and what are your fears?

It's hard for me to imagine a way that this is going to get better before January or February at the earliest. My fear is that at this moment, we have so much more community disease. When people gather at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'm worried that our more vulnerable populations will get sick. Right now, the people that are ramping up the numbers of COVID-19 infections are younger, and many of those do not require hospitalization. So at the moment, our hospitals are getting full, especially the adult facilities. I'm worried about those adult facilities and their capacity, but we're okay in pediatrics.

The problem I see could get worse if over Thanksgiving, there are family gatherings where elderly people become exposed and more of those require hospitalization. My fear about the holidays is that we will increase disease and then increase hospitalization at a time when many of the adult facilities are already maxed out. My sincere hope is that there will be minimal family gatherings and minimal disease transmission over the holidays. We haven't had holidays during a pandemic, so we really don't know how it's going to go. But I'm hopeful that everyone will continue to do their social distancing and masking and staying six feet apart and hand-washing and all of those kinds of things that we've been talking about since the beginning, so that things won't get worse during the holidays.

A lot of parents are wondering if children are getting infected at school or if they're actually getting infected at extra-curricular activities. What are your thoughts?

The numbers of kids that are believed to have gotten infected at school really has not been bad. We had been concerned about how kids in schools would do. I know there have been outbreaks with football and volleyball and some other team sports. And I think the classroom has gone probably better than what we expected. The problem that you run into is that kids are together all day at school, wearing a mask, six-feet apart and often behind Plexiglas shields. And after that, the parents feel like it's normal to say, they're at school together all day anyway, let's have the birthday party. What they don't realize is the birthday party is unmasked because people are eating, several parents show up at birthday parties who would not normally be in the same space, and I worry that it is more, the extracurricular events than it is actually in the classroom.

I think a lot of people were under the impression that kids don't get COVID-19. Not true?

We are living proof that that is not the case. We know that we're really lucky that children do not get as sick in high volumes as adults do. But certainly kids get sick and certainly kids get intensive care unit sick with this disease. Absolutely they can. We are very fortunate we have not had any deaths here. It is my understanding that there have been a couple of deaths in the Texas Panhandle. Certainly there are isolated cases with pediatric deaths in the country.

Biggest takeaway that you would hope people would take from hearing these statistics today that you guys have the most patients at one time?

Overall, things are worse. And when you look at the population of America, we have so many people that remain at risk. It isn't just the elderly. It's thought that 150 million American citizens have a pre-existing condition that puts them at risk for severe COVID-19 disease. That's almost half of our population. So even though it's the holidays and even though we're tired of staying home and wearing masks every time we leave the house, we just can't stop it. You just have to keep wearing your mask because you never know if you're carrying this virus asymptomatically, you could be putting other people at risk. When you're out in public, begin to think about standing six feet away from whoever you're talking to. Many people already have, but make it your habit to stay feet away from other people, and wear your mask. I think we just have to be more aggressive and do that more thoughtfully and not stop over the next few months.

Have you seen children without underlying conditions become hospitalized with COVID-19?

Yes, we have seen perfectly healthy children come into the hospital who have COVID-19, who wind up on a ventilator and life support. That does happen. It's not a high number, but you can't say that children are not at risk. That has happened here and it does happen.

First of all, families need to discuss risks and benefits of traveling by car or plane. I understand the desire to see your grandparents at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My own Grandma is in an assisted living center and I have had very little contact with her over the past six months. We don’t want our relatives to spend the holidays alone, but we also don’t want to put them in any unnecessary risk. So, do we stay or do we go?? There is no “correct” answer to that question. We want to cherish time with our relatives, especially the elderly ones, but need to be cautious if visiting older or immunocompromised family members.

If you choose not to travel, having a small intimate family holiday will be a nice change from the normal, sometimes stressful, celebration. You can FaceTime or Zoom other family members and still be engaged at mealtime, present opening, cooking favorite recipes, and even coordinate games together. Technology affords us the opportunity to stay close, even when we’re far away.

Ideas for a socially-distanced holiday:

• Cook a family recipe and host a contest on who nailed it the best: presentation, taste, closeness to “how Grandma makes it.”
• Gingerbread house decorating contest.
• Play games: My family was laughing so hard we couldn’t speak when we played the Heads Up! game on our phones last year. Grandma nearly peed herself laughing when her clue was “monkey” and all adults ran around the kitchen acting like crazy animals at the zoo!
• Make a shared album for photos/ videos and upload pictures daily for the rest of the family to see and enjoy.
• Purchase themed family pajamas and put on a fashion show.
• Holiday light or tree decorating contest.
• Scavenger hunt/treasure map.

If you choose to travel, I recommend smaller groups visiting older or immune compromised family members. This is not the best year for a 50 person family reunion. Stay in the largest home available and spread out. Wear a mask for close contact inside and when cooking. Wash hands more frequently. Weather permitting, eat and socialize outside. Who wouldn’t love making s’mores in a fire pit?!

Ideas for safe traveling during the holidays:

• When driving: many fast food restaurants do not allow customers inside for potty stops, so be mindful to stop at rest stops or gas stations. Wear your mask inside, wash your hands very well, and have hand sanitizer in the car. Pack snacks and drinks and limit unnecessary pit stops.
• If travelling by plane: pick the first flight of the day when the plane is the “cleanest.” Pack plenty of snacks so you don’t need to purchase in the airport; I advise fruit & veggie squeeze packs, trail mix, crackers, cereal bars, practically enough to be a mini meal if needed. Use antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer often. Keep your mask on the entire time you are in the airport and on the plane.

In this unprecedented year, holidays may look different. Decide on what will work best for your family this season and be safe no matter what you choose.

With so many people out on the road, it means more opportunity for danger.

From Dec. 20 to Dec. 31, 2018, the Trauma Department at Cook Children's reports 17 children were admitted at the Medical Center for injuries related to motor vehicle crashes and an additional 29 children were treated and released after a visit to the Cook Children's Emergency Department. One wreck during that time frame included a fatality and a total of three children died during the entire month of December.

“Unfortunately, we've seen children die around the holidays," said Debbie Wheeler, a Child Life specialist for the Emergency Department at Cook Children's. "With other traumas, we’ve seen young kids live by the grace of being properly restrained in the correct car seat. I really want to encourage parents to travel safely this holiday season, especially for everyone in the vehicle to be buckled up appropriately. It is really sad to see a patient hurt and have injuries that could possibly have been prevented if they were in a car seat, a proper car seat, or a seat belt.”

Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. Many of those deaths could have been avoided if parents took the extra time to make sure their children were properly restrained.

Sharon Evans, Trauma/Injury Prevention outreach coordinator at Cook Children’s, says it’s extremely frustrating because she has seen wrecks where one child who was properly restrained lived and the other child not buckled died.

“Honestly, it’s just so infuriating,” Evans said. “These crashes are preventable. It’s because the adults in the car aren’t doing something that could save their child’s life. I don’t think people think it can happen to them. But it can happen to anyone. It breaks my heart because these are deaths that shouldn’t occur if people would just place their kid in the proper car seat and buckle them up with a seat belt."

Holiday Injuries Treated at Cook Children's (Dec. 20-31, 2018)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that in one year more than 618,000 children ages 0-12 rode in vehicles without the use of a child safety seat or booster seat or a seat belt at least some of the time. Statistics show this is especially a problem for Hispanics in the community. Ninety percent of the ejections that have occurred since April 2015 were Hispanic.

“I think a lot of it has to do with our culture,” said Magdalena Santillan, Trauma Injury Prevention Specialist at Cook Children’s. “These are people who love their kids, and they want to hold their baby. A lot don’t want to hear their baby cry, and so it’s easier to hold their baby in the car. They are showing love, but the consequences are too high and can be a deadly mistake.”

Texas law states that “all children younger than 8 years old, unless taller than 4’9”, are required to be in the appropriate child safety seat system wherever they ride in a passenger vehicle. The safety seat MUST be installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.”

That means that when a child reaches his or her eighth birthday – no matter their height, it is legal for the child to use only the adult safety belt in the passenger vehicle.

However, the Texas Department of Public Safety states on its website that best safety practice is: “if the child is not yet 4’9”, they are better protected if they continue to use the appropriate child safety seat system until they can fit properly in the adult safety belt.”

“From a safety standpoint, I encourage parents to follow the best safety practice guidelines,” Evans said. “Graduating to a seat belt too early does keep children in the car if they crash, but when the seat belt doesn’t fit properly, it can cause serious injuries. That is something else we are seeing right now at Cook Children’s – children in a halo brace for severe neck injuries because they were in seat belts too young and too early.”

Call 682-885-2634 to set up a FREE car seat checkup to ensure your seat is properly installed.

As an emergency room physician, Dr. Guzman also knows the importance of gun safety.

Dr. Guzman has seen serious, even deadly consequences, as a result of a child shot with a BB or pellet gun.

From January 2016 to the end of November in 2019, 214 children have been seen at Cook Children’s because of firearm injuries.

During that time frame, 27 children were injured by a handgun, 10 from a rifle, shotgun or larger firearm and 177 others were harmed by “other or unspecified firearms, which includes airguns and BB guns.

Firearm Injuries by Calendar Year and Age Group

Over his 16-year emergency room career, Dr. Guzman has cared for three children who died from BB/pellet firearm injuries to the chest.

Dr. Guzman said that "basic BB guns like a Red Ryder can fire up to 450 feet/second, and pellet guns can fire up to 1300 feet/second, which is faster than most handguns."

Dr. Guzman stated, "that studies have shown that it only takes 331 feet/second to penetrate the skin, so it is easy to see why injuries and deaths can occur from such basic firearms. Teaching children to respect firearms is important. Still, more importantly, parental supervision is important, as well as appropriately storing all firearms is key to keeping our children safe from unintentional injuries."

Even some NERF guns can harm a child. Many of these guns are made to shoot from as far away as 100 feet. If a child holds the Nerf gun too close, the power of the dart could hurt a child.

"Many children have been harmed by what's called a 'toy gun,'" Dr. Guzman said. "If you are going to have guns in the house, it's important to teach children to respect the guns. It can save a life and teach children to have gun safety etiquette as they get older."

With the holidays and gift-giving right around the corner, Dr. Guzman wants to get the word out about gun safety as more firearms will find their way into people's homes.

Buying a Gun for Your Child

Giving guns as gifts, especially BB and pellet guns, is a common occurrence in states like Texas.

In fact, the vast majority of us grew up with these types of firearms and never would think of them as "deadly." But the truth is, they can cause severe injury and death.

Firearm Injuries by Calendar Year and Outcome

Unfortunately, Dr Guzman has seen many unintentional injuries related to BB and pellet guns. Within the last two years he has seen injuries to the face and eye causing debilitating injuries. One child lost vision in one eye from being accidentally shot by a friend with a BB gun.

“It is important to view these firearms as real threats to our children and be vigilant about safety when we have any type of firearm in the home,” Dr Guzman explains.

In Texas, minors can't buy guns. It's illegal to sell a long gun (rifles) to anyone under 18 and to sell handguns to anyone under 21.

However, it's not illegal to give a gun to a minor with parental permission.

"I know this is a divisive issue for many people," Dr. Guzman said. "But my main concern is the safety of children. If you do buy a gun for your younger child, make sure they are mature enough to handle the firearm. And, if you are taking the gun out for hunting or recreation, always travel with your child. Never let them go alone."

Some helpful tips for gun safety include:

• Start with a hunter's safety course for children to learn the basics of firearm handling.
• When you aren't using a gun, store the gun unloaded, and locked up. Lock up the bullets separately and keep control of the keys.
• Teach your child to assume a gun is always loaded.
• Never point a gun at someone or yourself.
• Set a good example with your own gun handling practices. For instance, don't leave a gun out in the open.

Steps to Protect Your Child

"It won't happen to us" is a common theme among children and accidental injuries such as gun shootings.

However, the numbers tell a different story. In 2017, there were at least 26 children ages 0-11 in the state of Texas alone that were accidentally killed because a gun was not safely locked away.

One out of every three homes with children in the U.S. has a gun. In Texas, 36% of adults have a household firearm, and over 199,000 children currently live with unlocked, loaded firearms in their homes.

Firearm Injuries by Calendar Year and Gun Type

Dr. Guzman encourages you to talk to the parents of your child's friends if they have guns in their homes and asked how they are stored. And if asked about your own guns, don't be offended.

Other tips from Dr. Guzman include:

Safe Children

• Ask the parents of your child’s friends if they have guns in their homes and how they are stored.
• If you are asked about your guns, don’t be offended.

Safe Play

If your child sees a gun, teach them to:

• Stop
• Don't touch
• Run away
• Tell a grownup

Safe Storage

• Store firearms unloaded in locked locations, out of reach of children.
• Use trigger locks and gun boxes.
• Secure ammunition separately.
• Hide gun safe and trigger lock keys.
• Keep unlocked guns in your possession.
• Make sure all guns are equipped with effective, child-resistant gun locks.
• If a visitor has a gun in a backpack, briefcase, handbag, or unlocked car, provide them with a locked place to keep it when your home.

Another way to easily remember and share with family and friends is what Dr. Guzman coined the "3T's of firearm safety and children.

Talk – to your family, friends, and neighbors about the importance of firearm safety to keep our children safe

Teach – your children how to respond if they encounter an unsecured firearm

Take – personal responsibility to store your firearms appropriately to keep ALL our children safe

And finally, Dr. Guzman emphasizes, "if you are going to purchase a firearm this Christmas- remember to purchase a storage device along with that firearm to keep it from being found and mishandled by our children, so we can keep our holiday fun, festive and SAFE!"

*Source for Cook Children's Stats: Cook Children's Medical Center Meditech and Epic Claims Data. Inclusion Criteria: Encounter with any ICD-10 External Cause Code of: U01.4, W32-W34, X72-X74, X93-X95, Y22-Y24, or Y35.0

The blog post to girlscouts.org seems all the more timely and important because of the many allegations against well-known celebrities and politicians.

“Holidays and family get-togethers are a time for yummy food, sweet traditions, funny stories, and lots and lots of love,” the blog read. “But they could, without you even realizing it, also be a time when your daughter gets the wrong idea about consent and physical affection.”

During a recent Facebook Live event, Cook Children’s posted on the #MeToo movement and child sexual abuse, Denise Coover, a trauma-informed specialist and family therapist, made a similar point. While the emphasis of the blog was on girls, Coover said it was important for parents to share the same message with their sons.

“When kids are little we’ve got to be careful to not override children’s instincts to not immediately go and hug people they don’t know,” Coover said. “Sometimes parents will say, “Oh go and give [her] a hug.” Well first of all they don’t know me and they don’t want to give me a hug. We should allow kids to make that decision on who they feel comfortable being close to. Sometimes we override that and say, ‘Oh they are being rude. Well, no they are not. They don’t know me.”

Joy Crabtree, clinic manager of Cook Children’s Psychology Clinic in Southlake, said that especially with the holidays coming up and your kids seeing people they may not normally be familiar or comfortable with, to prep your children in advance before you arrive to the family dinner or gathering.

“So, if they are being pressured for a hug or kiss, they can say, ‘I do high fives instead,’ for example. The more prepared kids feel in advance, the less stress they will feel and more confident, no matter the situation,” Crabtree said.

The blog urged parents to not insist their daughter go give hugs to an aunt or uncle if the child seems hesitant. The concern is that this establishes a precedent for when the child grows up and may “set the stage for her questioning whether she ‘owes’ another person any type of physical affections when they’ve bought her dinner or done something else seemingly nice for her later in life.

The blog points out that these are scary times and that sadly adults do prey on children and “teaching your daughter about consent early on can help her understand her rights, knowing when lines are being crossed, and when to get help.”

The article recommends parents:

1. Give your child space to decide when and how to show affection.
2. Don’t force your child to give affection.
3. Teach her if she doesn’t want to give someone a hug to not be rude, but use words to express how she has missed someone, say “thank you with a smile.”
4. Give high fives, fist bumps or air kisses.

Click here to read the full blog.

1. Make sure your house is safe while you are away. Alert the neighbors that you will be out of town. Stop the mail and newspaper from delivering or make sure a neighbor can pick it up for you. Now there’s even technology available to set a timer on the lights in your house. The timer lets you keep your lights on and turn them off the same as you would if you were actually at home, making any potential bad guy think you are there.
2. Don’t let everyone know your plans. Remember it’s not only old high school friends and co-workers following your every move. Crooks are definitely Facebook and Twitter savvy. Don’t announce to everyone that you are taking off soon or that you are trying to get packed tomorrow. Do things the old fashioned way and call the people who need to know you will be out.
3. Get your rest. A report released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety states that drivers who sleep only five or six hours in a 24-hour period are twice as likely to crash as drivers who get seven hours of sleep or more. Crash rates increase with every hour of lost sleep.
4. Make sure your child is secure in their car seat or booster before you travel. You can’t be too careful on the road, both in the U.S. and out of the country. Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of kids 14 years and under in the United States.
5. And secure on the plane too. Buy the extra ticket for your baby and make sure your child is properly protected in an approved safety seat. The No. 1 way children are injured in planes is due to turbulence. For safety, children need to be either restrained in their safety seat or in the lap belt in the plane seat.
6. Bring a current picture of your child with you on your trip. Have a very specific description of what your child is wearing in case your son or daughter gets lost. In this day and age of cameras on your phone, it’s easy to take a picture of your child that morning.
7. This is an uncomfortable one, but so important. Let your child know it’s OK to scream and fight if someone tries to grab them. However, just throwing a fit may not work. We’ve all seen kids screaming and crying as parents carry them out of the store. If the child is old enough they need to know to scream “this isn’t my Mommy or Daddy, help me” instead of just screaming like they are upset because they were told “no.”
8. Traveling with asthma. Be sure to pack your child’s quick-relief medicine and long-term control medicine. Keep them where you can reach them and not packed away. Pack your peak flow meter, health insurance cards and your asthma action plan. Consider purchasing a portable nebulizer. Call ahead to where you are traveling and discuss your child’s triggers. Bring your child’s pillow and blanket from home.
9. Childproof your grandparents’ home. Make sure they know about any nut allergies or any other allergy they should know about during your stay. Check all the rooms for any electrical cords, cleaning supplies and loose pills on the floor. Grandparents usually leave them out so they can remember to take them. Don’t let this happen. Put the pills away. Often times they aren’t child proofed and kids can easily mistake them for candy. Also remember to unpack and put away any medications that you bring with you.
10. Avoiding food allergies takes extra prep work. Research local hospitals and medical care wherever you are traveling. Also call ahead or go online to find out about area grocery stores, restaurants and any other place you may stop along the way. Make your family aware. Yes grandma makes the best pecan pie, but make sure everyone knows your child has allergies and one bite can mean horrible consequences. Pack your own food if necessary. Stay alert and be prepared with your child’s medications
11. Be aware of the new surroundings for your kiddo. If they have a family pool without a fence, talk to your children about them. Make them aware of the dangers of stairs and banisters, and go outside with them to point out dangers, such as rakes, power tools, spots where there may be snakes and other critters.
12. Be safe. Cook Children's Trauma team sees lots of ATV/4-wheeler injuries during the holiday break. If your child is on an ATV, please make sure it's built for a child. No child under 5 should be on one at all, let alone driving it. If your child is on a bike, hover board or skateboard, please be sure your kids have on the proper safety equipment (helmets please) and establish the rule of safety first. With family over, it can be easy to think someone else is watching your kids. Mom and dad, make sure you are the ones responsible for supervision.

Hope this list helps during this busy time of year. Happy holidays from Cook Children’s.

But too many Thanksgivings end up with huge fights or arguments in front of the kids. The past few months have been especially volatile with an election that could spark opposing sides.

As parents, as hard as it is sometimes, we have to be the grownups. Research from children of divorce shows us that it’s not so much conflicts between adults that are particularly problematic, stressful or damaging to kids, but it’s witnessing conflict without seeing a peaceful resolution.

Whether you are upset over who did or didn’t get in the White House or you are still holding a grudge from a loan that never got paid back, kids need to see us demonstrate the concept of agreeing to disagree while maintaining mutual respect for one another.

We can provide our kids with a good example of learning to listen, genuinely hear, and appreciate another’s perspective even when our ideas may differ. Our unique personal experiences shape our passions, feelings, thoughts, values and opinions. As such, it is impossible for us all to be the same, which is really what would be necessary for us to all agree all of the time. It takes all kinds of people with all kinds of interests and values to make our world work. If we didn’t have such a variety, everyone would be a chocolate ice cream-loving, brussel sprout-hating, mystery-reading , female veterinarian … which means our animals would all be very healthy but our grocery stores would always be low on our favorite treats and the library would have nothing interesting to read since all the books would be about curing sick animals.

Plus, there would also be no turkey on the Thanksgiving table.

So teaching our kids that variety truly is the spice of life because it enriches our experience is critical. At the same time, helping our children understand that even the best chefs make mistakes and use too much of a flavor at times which overwhelms the dish … it’s too spicy … is important too. Sometimes, parents and other grownups are like this when they share their feelings and their passions with others too intensely. We become very protective of our beliefs and opinions, expressing them too loudly and too harshly when we don’t feel heard. Kids really do love it when grownups admit their mistakes. When we are able to accept responsibility for our own lapses in self-control and emotional regulation (scaring or hurting others feelings because we got carried away), we are showing those relationships are important and worthy of mending by seeking forgiveness and reconciliation.

Kids need to see that the important adults in their lives can disagree and still accept, include and love one another.

With young children, consider using ideas/concepts that are familiar, meaningful and relevant to them. Rather than focusing on political, financial, social, or religious issues, you might talk with them about preferences they share with their close friends, as well as things they might disagree about.

For example, “You believe that plain cheese pizza is the best, and you love to go rock climbing. Your best friend loves pepperoni but is afraid of heights and prefers soccer. Your other friend loves cheese, thinks pepperoni is OK, and is bored by everything but video games and Legos. You think pepperoni is gross. “

Who’s right? Is there a right and wrong? Do your feelings about your friends change because they like different things than you do?

The idea you want to help them learn is that everyone’s thoughts, feelings and values are valid and should be treated with respect even when we don’t happen to agree. It’s also important to keep on loving and accepting others who don’t agree with us, even when that same acceptance is not being given in return. Our value does not change just because someone else tells us so. You wouldn’t agree if someone told you your eyes were rainbow colored … that would be silly! You don’t have to agree if they tell you what’s important to you is wrong either.

About the author

Whitney McGee, Psy.D, is a licensed psychologist at Cook Children's. Cook Children's Behavioral Health services provides a broad range of care that focuses on children from ages 3 years through 17, and their families. As part of family-centered care all of our professionals are qualified both through education and experience to work with children who have behavioral and emotional challenges. Our psychiatrists are board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and our psychologists and therapists are all licensed independently in Texas. Locations include Denton, Fort Worth, Hurst, Lewsville, Mansfield and Southlake. 

To access any of our services, please contact our Intake Department. To expedite your call, please have your child’s date of birth and insurance information ready.

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.