When temperatures drop again (and they will), it’s time to bundle up and make sure your kids stay safe in the cold. Remember that children are more vulnerable to the cold weather than adults, so be sure to take time to dress them warmly.

Follow these tips to help keep your kids warm this winter:

• Watch the weather forecast. In extreme cold with high winds, frostbite may develop in just minutes. Plan your outdoor activities on days with more mild conditions.
• Dress in layers. The layer closest to the skin should be a thin material that can draw moisture away from the skin. The next layer(s) should be warmer, insulating materials, like fleece or wool. The final layer should be a waterproof, wind-resistant material.
• Choose the right clothing. The ears, nose, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes are most commonly affected by frostbite. Essential clothing includes:
  • Hat.
  • Face protection.
  • Eye protection in extreme conditions or if your child is participating in winter sports.
  • Mittens, which provide more warmth and protection than gloves.
  • Two pairs of socks. One pair with moisture-wicking material against the skin and another thick, warm pair made of material like wool.
  • Warm, waterproof boots.
• Make sure that all clothing fits properly. Clothes that are too tight or don’t completely cover the skin may cause increased exposure to the cold.
• Change wet clothing as soon as possible. Body heat is lost very quickly when the skin is wet.
• Watch the time. Everyone has fun playing in the snow, especially children. They may not realize how cold they are, so be sure to have them come inside after a reasonable amount of time.
• Know the risks. Children with chronic medical conditions like asthma or diabetes may be at increased risk for injury in the cold. Teens who drink alcohol also are at risk, as drinking alcohol may reduce body temperature.

After being outside, take the time to ask your children if they feel very cold, numbness or clumsiness in any parts of their body. If so, slowly warm the area by running warm, not hot, water over the area. Do not rub the area or apply heat packs, as this could cause further injury. If you notice blistering or a strange color to any areas on the skin, contact your child’s doctor for further advice.

Winter months can be long, but with the right preparation we all can still get outside and have a good time. Be safe and have fun!

~ Cindy Running, MD, pediatrician, North Shore Pediatrics
North Shore Pediatrics is part of Children’s Medical Group, a network of primary care pediatricians throughout southeastern Wisconsin. Dr. Running is a pediatrician at North Shore Pediatrics in Mequon, Wisconsin.

Are you looking for a pediatrician? Children’s Medical Group has more than 50 pediatricians serving children at 17 clinic sites. Visit childrensmedicalgroup.org to find a pediatrician near you.

I know that all pieces of free-standing furniture and TVs have the capability of tipping over. As a parent of a 10-month-old and as the Safe Kids Wisconsin coordinator, I am well aware of the potential hazard that poses for my son. After all, my son is curious and into everything just like all other toddlers and kids.

Since October, there have been three deaths in the Chicago area related to TVs falling onto children. Consumer Product Safety Commission data shows in 2006, there were 19,300 injuries associated with product instability or tip-overs involving children younger than 10. It’s not just an infant and toddler issue.

As parents, it’s important to make our children’s environment as safe as possible. My husband and I recently bought furniture straps to secure our television stand to the wall. We also bought a wall mounting bracket for our television.

Here are a few tips for securing your furniture:

• If a piece of furniture is unstable or top-heavy, secure it to a stud in the wall using brackets, braces, anchors or wall straps. Large items such as TVs, microwaves, fish tanks, bookcases, heavy furniture and appliances can topple off stands and fall on children.
• If you have a newer, flat screen TV, make sure it’s properly anchored to the wall.
• Read the manufacturer’s instructions for tips or warnings regarding placement of your TV or furniture.
• Keep heavier items on lower shelves or in lower drawers as this will help eliminate top-heavy furniture which topples over easily.
• Don’t keep remote controls, candy, toys or other items that attract children on top of furniture, as your child might be enticed to reach for these items.
• Supervise young children at all times.

Last, get down on your knees and look around the room to see the dangers at your child’s level. I also encourage you to visit safekidswi.org for additional resources.

Parents, post a comment and share your tips for keeping children safe at home.

~ Libbe Slavin, coordinator, Safe Kids Wisconsin Coalition

Keep items that use button batteries out of reach of small children. This especially is true if the battery compartment is not secure and can be opened easily. If you think your child has swallowed a battery, go to the emergency room right away.

Share this video with your friends and family to help to get the word out about this danger:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfgzheWXQlY

So while we pull out the holiday decorations or purchase toys for holiday gifts, don’t forget to secure the batteries. For more information, visit www.TheBatteryControlled.com.

~ Libbe Slavin, coordinator, Safe Kids Wisconsin Coalition

Here’s what we do know: between 2005 and 2008, 88 babies in the Milwaukee area died from accidental overlay, suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome. These cases involved boys and girls of all socioeconomic classes and races – 37 percent were Hispanic, 30 percent white and 18 percent black. The most common risk factor was an unsafe sleep environment including inappropriate bedding (pillows, quilts or bumpers) in about 80 percent of cases and co-sleeping with an adult in 70 percent of cases. Only a minority of cases (less than 20 percent) involved a parent who was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

While we don’t know all the factors that make co-sleeping dangerous, we are sure that it’s safer not to do it.

Here at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, we follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and encourage you to follow the ABCs of safe sleep:

A: Alone. Babies should not share a sleep surface with anyone or anything. No adults or other children should sleep with a baby. The crib should be empty without toys, bumper pads, wipes or extra blankets. This might look cold and empty to you and a lot different from the plush and filled cribs in the stores or magazines, but it’s safest and your baby will be sleeping and won’t even notice.

B: Back. Deaths due to SIDS have been cut in half since we began recommending all babies be put on their backs to sleep. This position keeps the baby’s face clear, allows him or her to breathe freely, helps regulate breathing and prevents choking if he or she spits up during the night. When you’re on your back, your windpipe is higher than your esophagus, so food and fluid run back into your stomach and not down to your lungs. Remember to let your baby get plenty of “tummy time” when you’re playing with him or her. This will help your baby’s arms and neck grow strong and help his or her head keep a round shape.

C: Crib. Babies don’t need a lot of space, but need their space to be their own. Babies should sleep on a firm, flat surface like an infant crib mattress or Pack ’n Play. Adult mattresses and couches are too soft and are a suffocation risk. If you want to be close to your baby throughout the night, put your crib, bassinet or Pack ’n Play in your bedroom so you can share a room, not a bed.

Finally, remember that one of the best ways to take care of your baby is to take care of yourself. Make sure you get plenty of sleep and exercise and don’t use alcohol or drugs when you’re caring for a child. Spend quality time with your baby, including snuggling and breastfeeding while you’re awake. Then put your child into a protected environment.

Practicing safe sleep is a simple, yet highly effective way to keep your baby safe and healthy. Visit www.chw.org/safesleep to learn more.

~ Jason Jarzembowski, MD, PhD, program director of perinatal pathology, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

A concussion is a brain injury that requires rest to heal and avoid repeat injury. This means no sports, activity or physical exertion. Until symptoms improve, rest also includes no studying, loud music, texting, computer or video game use, hanging out with friends or even attending classes.

It’s important to remember that a young athlete with a concussion will improve more quickly with rest from physical activities and cognitive activities like schoolwork. Concussions affect everyone differently, so the symptoms and the approach to care for each student will be different too.

You wouldn’t expect a student with a knee injury to perform a timed-running activity in gym class, so you also can’t expect a brain-injured student to perform well at school. Simple things like taking notes while paying attention to the teacher often are too difficult for these kids to tolerate.

It’s impossible to predict when that student will be back to normal, but we do know he or she will improve faster with brain rest and school accommodations. Music, choir, band or even a noisy lunchroom can be overwhelming because of excessive noise. The student should effectively use that time for rest in the nurse’s office, any necessary tutoring or study hall.

Our team of sports medicine specialists suggests that families and students openly communicate with school personnel about difficulties and progress. As students begin to move back to full academics, teachers can help the student prioritize new and make-up work, and help set a realistic timeline for completion of all assignments.

Proper management of a student with a concussion is a partnership. Only with this comprehensive approach to treatment can we take the stress off the injured student and allow them to recover more quickly.

I encourage you to follow us on Facebook and visit us on YouTube to learn more about concussions, get updates on other sports medicine topics and connect with our team.

~ Kevin Walter, MD, program director of pediatric and adolescent sports medicine, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

It’s happening Thursday evening, Oct. 20, in communities across southeast Wisconsin. If you order a pizza for delivery and have children age 14 and younger, you may be chosen to have your community’s fire department deliver your pizza – in a fire truck with lights flashing and horns blaring!

How Delivering Fire Prevention works

Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin, State Farm, fire departments and pizza restaurants are teaming up to encourage families to make sure their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are working. As part of this effort, fire fighters and Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin volunteers will ask to check your alarms to make sure they’re working. If they are, you get one free pizza donated from the participating restaurant or in some cases by the fire department. All families will receive fire prevention information.

In the United States, a house fire occurs every 76 seconds. More than 450 children ages 14 and younger die from fire and burn injuries each year, not to mention the countless injuries that occur. The tragic fatal house fire in Milwaukee last week brings these statistics closer to home.

Prevention can make a difference in saving the lives of children and their families. Check to make sure your alarms are working and follow these prevention tips to keep your family safe.

If you live in the Port Washington, Wis., area and order a pizza from Pizza Hut, I just may see you as I’ll be riding along with that department!

Have a safe day!

~ Lisa Klindt Simpson, coordinator, Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin

I have a 4-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son. My daughter decided she and her brother should go trick-or-treating as Thing One and Thing Two from the children’s book “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss. So, I set out on my search, not only for their costumes, but also for a few items to keep them safe while trick-or-treating.

Thing One and Thing Two costumes.

Most costumes don’t have reflective material on them, so I found some reflective tape to put on their costumes at the hardware store and fabric store. I also picked up some glow bracelets. Not only does my daughter think they’re cool, but they help others see her as well. It’s important that she, too, can see. So instead of wearing a mask, which can be difficult to see out of, we’re using face paints.

Throughout October, I encourage you to follow Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin on Facebook and Twitter. Every day this month we are sharing a valuable tip focused on keeping Halloween safe for children. If you have never visited us on Facebook or Twitter, now is a great time to get connected.

I’m going to make sure I keep my Thing One and Thing Two safe this Halloween, and I hope you do, too!

~ Libbe Slavin, coordinator, Safe Kids Wisconsin Coalition

With the weather getting cold and people trying to stay warm, I would like to remind parents to keep hot items out of the reach of children. Also, put a gate in front of your fireplace and do not let children play around fire pits.

I encourage you to read Shanie’s story to learn how something as simple as a bowl of soup can cause second- and third-degree burns on a child.

Remember, a few seconds of prevention can go a long way.

~ Barb Riordan, RN, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

In 2007, an estimated 5,000 kids were injured and more than 200 children died because they were hit by a vehicle in a driveway or parking area. These injuries and deaths are preventable because many were a result of drivers not seeing children near the vehicle. Before driving, you should always walk all the way around your parked vehicle to make sure no children are under or behind it.

For more “Spot the Tot” tips, check out these resources. I also recommend viewing the following video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy26KuZ6bI8

Let’s work together toward safety! Parents, post a comment below and share how you keep your children safe around cars.

~ Lisa Klindt Simpson, coordinator, Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin

Pediatric critical care units are the backstop for all that goes on in a children’s hospital. When complications arise, the critical care team is there to support children and help them heal. While providing lifesaving care, we learn a great deal about why children come to us in the first place and the factors in the community that contribute to their health status.

Accidental injuries like falls, drowning, car crashes, fires and burns are the leading causes of death for kids. As clinicians caring for critically ill children, we get excited about new therapies that help us heal our patients. We also get excited about educating parents and other caregivers on how to keep kids from getting hurt in the first place.

Did you know wearing a seat belt in the car reduces a teen’s risk of death or serious injury by at least 50 percent?

Not only is it the law, but strapping infants and toddlers in car seats correctly reduces the risk of injury or death by 75 percent, and a properly installed booster seat reduces the risk by more than 60 percent. Wearing a properly fitted bike helmet is nearly 90 percent effective at reducing the risk of head injury after a bicycle crash. Research, advocacy and community programs at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin focus on educating children and families on these safety devices.

We have the unique opportunity to care for children when they need us most. We learn from these unfortunate occurrences and help shape our community by educating children and families in hopes of reducing the number of illnesses or injuries.

I like to say we are a safety net and protector of health.

~ Timothy E. Corden, MD, critical care physician, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin