According to the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office, in 2020, 78 people went to Minnesota hospitals with fireworks injuries. That doesn’t come close to the actual number of people injured who didn’t seek care at a hospital. This doesn’t mean you have to avoid fireworks altogether this Fourth of July. As a Level I Adult, Pediatric, and Burn Center, Hennepin Healthcare offers these tips for celebrating safely with fireworks this summer. (more…)
It’s early September and that means it’s time for back to school and also back to extracurricular activities. Many parents often wonder – which activities are the best for my child? How many activities are enough? Or too many? This year, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is the added concern of how to stay safe both at school and at after-school activities. After so much social isolation and disruption of routines during this past school year, we may be eager to return to “normal” busy schedules. Our forced downtime of the past year offers an opportunity to be thoughtful about how to incorporate activities for our children and teenagers. (more…)
As a Level I pediatric trauma center, our role in the community is not only to care for children that are injured or ill, but also provide education and guidance to prevent injuries. Sadly, despite prevention efforts, drowning remains the leading cause of injury related death in children four years and younger. Before summer even started this year, we were seeing an unusually high number of pediatric drownings with a disproportionate number of these deaths in children of color. Like too many other health issues, there are significant racial and socioeconomic disparities in drowning rates among children. (more…)
Do you remember when you used to drive to work and then home again? You would get back on the road to do errands or meet friends for a meal? Life was normal and most driving was somewhat predictable. Well, slam on those breaks for the pandemic. (more…)
Did you know 4 out of 5 car seats are installed or used incorrectly? Keeping up with the changes and recommendations for child passenger safety can be a challenge. Here are a few current recommendations and resources for keeping your child safe when traveling around Minnesota.
Rear-facing versus forward-facing positioning
This fall the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their recommendations to promote keeping children in the rear-facing position for as long as possible. As infants and young children are at increased risk for head and spinal cord injury due to their relatively large head and developing musculoskeletal system, a rear-facing position reduces this risk by providing more head and back support in the event of a crash.2 Therefore, instead of an age limit, the AAP now recommends children be rear-facing until they meet the highest rear-facing weight or height limit allowed by the manufacturer of their car seat.1 (more…)
