The months of May, June, July and August are the most dangerous months for kids, with injuries and deaths peaking in July.  Prevent injuries to your kids this summer by supervising them and insisting that they use appropriate protective gear in all their activities.  Choose prevention over a trip to the Emergency Room.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics has great summer safety tips that cover all the bases—and they’re also available in Spanish.  Check them out:
• Summer Safety Tips – Part I
• Summer Safety Tips – Part II
• Consejos de Seguridad Para el Verano - Parte 1
• Consejos de Seguridad Para el Verano - Parte 2

• Be familiar with the signs of heat illness—heat exhaustion and heat stroke.  
• En Español: trastornos por calor.

• For in-depth information on important summer safety topics, check out these pages on YourChild:
• Playground and Outdoor Play Safety: Playground Equipment, Trampolines, and Sun
• Out and About:  Walking, Biking, In-Line Skating, Scooters, and Helmets
• Water and Pool Safety
• Recreational Vehicle Safety: ORVs and Jet Skis
• Sports Safety

• These University of Michigan Health Minutes offer more summer safety tips from University of Michigan experts:
• Common sense is the key to safety during summer fun—a U of M physician offers safety tips for keeping your family out of the emergency room this summer.
• Parents:  Get a jump of summer trampoline safety—U of M expert offers tips to keep kids and teens safe.
• Endure “trauma season” unscathed: Summer means scrapes, stings, sprains, bites, burns and other dangers of children and teens—includes a video clip link.
• Lawn mower safety:  U of M experts warn about the dangers of lawn mowers, especially with kids—includes a video clip.
• Summer food:  Don’t let summer heat “spoil” your picnic!

Compiled by Kyla Boyse, R.N Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan

April 2008

U-M Health System Related Sites:
U-M Pediatrics

Our editorial policy
The information and links we provide are reviewed by University of Michigan developmental and behavioral pediatricians and child psychologists who are experts in child behavioral health. In choosing the links we provide, we use strict criteria to ensure that the information is accurate, and the source is reputable. As much as possible, we focus on information that is based on research. In areas where there is inadequate research, we include information compatible with prevailing expert opinion.

This website is updated regularly, but because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, we cannot be responsible for misinformation that may be accessed through the links provided. As always, this website is not a tool for self-diagnosis, and is not a substitute for professional care.

Back to Child Development & Behavior Topics >