Keeping Me Safe

I am ready to start school and to do other activities without you. That means you will not always be near by to keep me safe. But I still need you to teach me what is safe and what is not safe. I also need you to help make sure that the world around me is safe.

Most childhood injuries can be predicted and prevented.

Here are some simple guidelines to help keep me safe at 5 years old…and beyond.

Falls are the leading cause of hospital visits for childhood injuries

• I need to wear the right protective gear if I am skating, skateboarding, in-line skating, skiing or doing similar kinds of sports.
• Whenever possible, I should take lessons to learn a new sport or activity, like skiing or in-line skating.

Car Safety

• One of the most important things you can do to keep me safe is to make sure that I always wear my seat belt when we travel in a car.
• When I outgrow my booster seat, I can sit on the seat and be strapped in with a seat belt.
• I am safest when I sit in the back seat. Never let me sit in the front seat if our car has a passenger-side air bag. Children and even small adults can be injured when an air bag inflates.
• I always wear my seatbelt correctly, including putting the shoulder belt in front of me.

House and Neighborhood

• I will not really understand pedestrian safety until I am about 9 years old. I still need an adult or older child to stay with me when I am around traffic or crossing a street.
• Check my bicycle often to make sure it is safe.

Water Safety

• Enroll in a water safety program, to learn how to swim and how to stay safe around water.