6 Things Parents Forget to Worry About

1. Expired car seat

Not many parents are aware that safety standards change over time and that applies to car seats. Due to the advancement of technology, car seats become out dated and unsafe. They have expiration dates that you may miss. Make sure your child is strapped into a safe car seat that’s up-to-date.

2. Drowning

While most parents are worrying about kidnapping and terrorist attacks, drowning is actually more realistic. Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States, with about ten people drowning to death each day. Two of these are children under 14 years old. Most drowning deaths in children under 4 years old occur in home pools. It’s important you teach your child to swim or enroll them in formal swimming lessons, which reduces the risk of drowning.

3. Texting while driving

With the advancement of technology in recent years, texting and driving has quickly become one of the most dangerous driving hazards. While multi-tasking is seen as a positive in most cases, texting and driving is not one. The activity reportedly contributes to 16 percent of all fatal crashes. And you may be thinking it’s the teenage drivers that are the problem, it’s actually more likely that adults ages 25-39 use their phones while driving.

4. Co-sleeping

Co-sleeping may be your favorite way to sleep, but it’s actually very dangerous. Sudden infant death syndrome, better known as SIDS, account for almost 2,000 infant deaths each year and a good portion of those deaths are thought to be the result of co-sleeping. Babies that sleep with their parents are reportedly five times more likely to die from SIDS.

5. Playground injuries

Supervision on the playground is a must whether it’s mom and dad or a teacher. Surprisingly, playground injuries can be pretty serious. About 45 percent of playground-related injuries are severe and may range from fractures and dislocations to internal injuries and amputations.

6. Bike riding

Riding a bike may be a fun pastime but if a child isn’t wearing a helmet, it could end in tragedy. Bicycle-related crashes involving children account for more emergency room visits than any other sport. Head injuries, a common injury if the child isn’t wearing proper equipment, can lead to permanent brain injuries or death.

Sources:

• American Academy of Pediatrics News. Don’t txt n drive: Teens not getting msg.
  U.S
• Department of Health and Human Services. Infant Sleep Position and SIDS.
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unintentional Drowning: Get the Facts.
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Playground Injuries.
  AAA. Distracted Driving.
  AAA. Teens Report Texting or Using Phone While Driving Significantly Less Often than Adults.
  British Medical Journal. Bed sharing when parents do not smoke.

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