Watch your children closely when around a pool or body of water
When you're a mom with three young kids, you have to grow eyes in the back of your head, especially if you're near a pool. Drowning is the second leading cause of death in children 1 to 14 years of age, according to Dr. Oliver T. Brooks. And each year, three children die a day from drowning. Dr. Brooks says it all comes down to parental supervision.
"Children can drown in as little as two minutes. So a child can be very busy and very active, get out, fall into a swimming pool or other water area and drown before anyone really realizes that this has happened," said Brooks.
Don't leave your children in a parked car
Even when you think it's just warm outside, it can get hotter than 100 degrees in your parked vehicle. You should never leave your children in an unattended parked vehicle while you run a "quick" errand, even if you crack a window. If you cannot take the child with you, you should not go on the errand, says Dr. Brooks.
Immunizations for the coming school year
You might not think of immunization as a summertime safety concern, but this year, due to the whopping cough outbreak, it is. All children in 7th through 12th grades must have a whooping cough, or pertussis, shot. So now is the time to get it.
Keep your child hydrated and protected from the sun
Dr. Brooks says a child's body needs more water than an adult's. So on a hot day, children need to drink 16 ounces, or two glasses, of water every hour. And don't forget the sunscreen. If you have a lot of kids to cover, make a team effort.
ABC7, the American Red Cross, Aetna, Kidde, Home Depot, L.A. Care Health Plan, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and Northgate Markets have teamed up this year for the 15th annual ABCs of a Safe Summer. Click here to learn more
