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Wintertime fun should not be life-threatening, yet often it is.
Cold and recreational activities can result in serious injuries and even death.
Dress for cold weather
Consider the following tips to protect
your child from winter’s chill:
- Avoid exposure to severe cold weather.
Keep your child indoors unless you
must go out.
- Dress your child in several layers of
protective, waterproof clothing. Be sure
to cover all exposed areas (head, ears,
hands, neck). The head and neck lose
heat more quickly than other parts of
the body.
- Make certain your child wears mittens as they provide more warmth
and protection than gloves.
- Your child should wear waterproof boots and wool stockings.
- Tell your child to come inside if he or she is feeling cold.
Hypothermia
Hypothermia (colder than normal body temperature) and frostbite can happen to
anyone who is not properly protected from the cold. Hypothermia occurs when
the body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Normal body
temperature is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In the early stages, hypothermia
may cause memory loss, confusion and shivering. Eventually, a low body
temperature can cause cardiac arrest and death. Signs of hypothermia include
slurred speech, reduced coordination and poor judgment. An infant may appear to
be less active. The best way to prevent hypothermia is to protect the body from
the cold.
Frostbite
Frostbite also can occur in the winter months. When exposed to cold, the body
tissue freezes. This affects the body like a burn. The hands, feet, ears, cheeks and
nose are the most commonly affected areas. Signs of mild frostbite include yellow
or gray patches on the skin. After the skin is warmed, it becomes red and flaky. In
more severe cases, a blister or sore, swelling and pain may develop. If you suspect
mild frostbite, bring your child inside and remove wet clothing. Gently dry the
affected area. Do not rub the area, as this may cause more damage. Warm the affected area by immersing it in warm water (104 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit) for
15 to 20 minutes or until a normal color returns.
Take your child to an emergency room if there is pain, blistering or swelling.
Deep frostbite, often affecting the feet and hands, can be very dangerous. It can
lead to infection, severe pain and swelling, nerve and tissue damage, and
amputation. Symptoms include cold, waxy and pale skin. When it thaws, the
affected area turns blue or purple. Large blisters appear, followed by peeling skin
or gangrene (dark, swollen tissue.)
If you suspect severe frostbite, immediately take your child to an emergency
room.
Sledding
Consider the following tips for safe sledding:
- Insist that children wear snow sport helmets while sledding.
- Inspect the sledding course for hazards. Trees, fences, rocks and telephone
poles can cause injuries. Hay bales are not always effective protection from
hazards.
- Make sure the run at the bottom of the hill is long enough for the sled to safely
stop on its own.
- Avoid hills with very steep inclines.
- Never sled near traffic, roads, parking lots, rivers or other bodies of water.
- Sled only during daylight hours.
- Sleds and toboggans should not be used on the same hills. Toboggans, which
may be more difficult to control than sleds, only should be used on toboggan
runs.
- Do not sled on icy hills. The hills must be snow-covered.
- Do not ride head-first or on the stomach. Ride in a sitting position or feet-first
while lying on your back. Support your body with your elbows.
- Small children should be accompanied by an adult.
- If an adult rides on a sled with a child, the adult should sit with the child
seated snugly in front, between the adult’s legs.
- Avoid sledding over snow bumps.
- Stay alert, keep your eyes open and use common sense.
- When going back up the hill, walk to the side of the course away from sleds
and toboggans.
- To find out where sled and toboggan hills are located and the hours they are
open, call your local parks system.
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