There is nothing worse than a fun holiday weekend that ends suddenly due to an accident or illness. To prevent unnecessary problems from ruining your Memorial Day or July 4th celebrations, Dr. F. Meridith Sonnett, Acting Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, offers the following helpful tips.

If you are planning to barbecue:
- Never add lighter fluid to an existing fire.

- Always light the match before turning on a propane gas grill.

- Parental supervision is essential - keep all children away from the grill.

If you plan to bring your family to an unfamiliar park with playground apparatus:
- Make sure your children play on equipment that is appropriate for their size and age (i.e. swings that they can’t fall from or a seesaw that is not too high for a young child).

- If the park has wooden playground equipment, make sure there are no protruding splinters that can get caught on a child’s skin.

- If there is a sandbox, check for broken glass or other dangerous refuse before allowing your child to play in it.

- Use sunscreen SPF 30 at all times. Sunburns in childhood can be dangerous later in life. Babies up to 6 months should be kept out of the sun completely.

- Use child-safe insect repellents.

- Get rid of any stagnant water pools near your home.

If you are bringing a picnic lunch with you, be sure it is kept in a cooler if it contains any salads that contain mayonnaise or dressings, or meat sandwiches or dishes. It does not take long for a product that should be refrigerated to spoil in the hot summer temperatures. Just putting food under a shaded tree is not enough precaution.

Physicians at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian warn that no firecrackers or even sparklers are safe. LEAVE THE FIREWORKS TO THE PROFESSIONALS.

http://www.childrensnyp.org/