My high school daughter left for school the other day in her sneakers. If it weren’t for the fact that our driveway is a bit of a hill and we’re surrounded by mounds of snow, and the day before were slammed with 6 more inches of snow and an ice storm significant enough to close school for the afternoon and evening I’d think nothing of it. I’m not entirely sure, to be honest, how she made it up our hill, down the next hill to the bus stop or traversed around her open campus school that day…but she did!

I asked her about her footware decision when she arrived home later that day. She was honest about her choice. “It boiled down to function vs. fashion”, she told me with a smile. “My boots would have been better for the ice but simply didn’t match my outfit. The sneakers were truly the only choice. You know how that goes.”

Thinking as an adult, boots seemed like the best option. However, having been a teenage girl, I saw her point. However, as an adult, the boots truly were the better option…and the safer one for the cold, the ice and the snow. It occurred to me that if I didn’t handle the situation in a way that resonated with her teen sense of style, the sneakers would win out next time, too.

So, this is how I responded:

“I see your point. Boots wouldn’t have worked with that outfit. Perhaps next time we have an ice storm you could consider a more boot-appropriate outfit so you don’t slide into a building or down the hill into oncoming traffic?”

Then I added: “Remember, your sister ended up with a whopping case of frostnip a few years back when we went skiing wearing ski boots and the proper socks. And, those toes still bother her today when it’s really cold outside.”

Without us locking horns or having a big fight, she’s been wearing her boots again. With teens, it’s all in the approach and once in a while us parents luck out in how we accomplish that. This time, I got through and won the boot battle sans battle.

It’s tough to get kids to wear winter-appropriate garb, The best approach is to help them understand from a young age why the weather can be dangerous and that we’re not just being parental nags when we force upon them all these clothing rules. Use books, the internet and other adjuncts to teach them why you are doing what you are doing so they have a frame of reference. It helps kids to know there’s actual fact behind our edicts. And, it helps if we practice what we preach. We can’t very well expect our kids to don their finest winter grab if we don’t do the same.

Fashion is seasonal. Sometimes we have to be the ones to remind our kids of that – and be strong enough to enforce it. They might not “feel cold” but we have to remind them that there’s a reason that cold weather shelters open during cold advisories and recess gets cancelled. Even ski slopes issue advisories and shut down when necessary.

Function or fashion? Sometimes you can have both but when it comes to weather safety, function has to win out, all the time.

(Image: http://www.shoes.com/ProductImages/shoes_iaec1230091.jpg)

Don’t tell this to my kids – but my favorite place to sled as a kid was a hill in the woods behind a friend’s house. And, my second favorite hill was at the high school, Senior Hill, which ended at the driveway entering the campus. Talk about violating just about every sledding rule there is! If I only knew then what I know now.

The statistics on injuries from sledding may surprise you. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that 14,000 kids ages 5-15 were treated for sledding injuries in 1997. In 2003, the CPSC reported over 90,000 total ER visits for all sledding injuries with half occurring in people under 20 years of age. Luckily, most injuries are minor – cuts, sprains and strains, but fractures, dislocations, facial injuries and serious trauma to the head and spine do occur. And, the younger a child, the more they are at risk for the more serious types of injuries.
Even knowing these statistics, all too many people tempt fate and convince themselves that it’s possible to defy physics. What they fail to realize is that the physics of sledding actually explains why sledding is so dangerous and supports the adage ‘the bigger you are, the harder you fall’. Very young kids are the only exception. Young children are more vulnerable to injury because of how large their heads are compared to their bodies which raises their center of gravity compared to ours.

If you think back to your school days, you’ll likely recall Newton’s First Law of Physics: Force equals mass times acceleration or F=MA. The greater the weight on a sled and the steeper the grade, the greater the force generated that pushes you down the hill. If it weren’t for the safeguards nature builds in with competing forces we’d end up going infinitely fast. When sledding, the friction of the snow and the wind pushing against us do slow us down but we can still clock speeds of 20-25miles per hour.

Add to speed and slick snow sleds that don’t steer and obstacles often covered in snow and the result is out of control sleds and falling people. The other major downhill winter sports, skiing and snowboarding, have professional programs we can fall back on to master some skills and reduce injury. Sledding is also different in that experience doesn’t make us more competent. F=MA will win all the time.

So, what can we do? Sled smartly. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) offers the following tips to make your next run as safe as possible:

* Parents or adults must supervise children, while sledding, at all times.
* Sled only in designated areas free of fixed objects such as trees, posts and fences.
* Do not sled on slopes that end in a street, drop off, parking lot, river or pond.
* All participants must sit in a forward-facing position, steering with their feet or a rope tied to the steering handles of the sled. No one should sled headfirst down a slope.
* To protect from injury, it is important to wear helmets, gloves and layers of clothing.
* Do not sit/slide on plastic sheets or other materials that can be pierced by objects on the ground.
* Use a sled with runners and a steering mechanism, which is safer than toboggans or snow disks.
* Sled in well-lighted areas when choosing evening activities.
* Individuals with pre-existing neurological problems may be at higher risk for injury.

Let me highlight a few additional tips especially relevant to kids:

* Never sled alone
* Make sure that the child is strong enough to control the sled
* Make sure the kids are old enough to understand the need to hold on
* Develop a safety plan that your kids can follow in case someone gets hurt
* If you enforce no other rule, enforce this: no helmet, no ride – and that should be true for adults and kids.

So, have fun the next time you test physics in motion…but when you sled, don’t forget to protect your head!

Here in New England, we’re on the way to another record snow fall year. Barely a month into Winter, and my town is already running out of places to stash the snow! It’s hard to tell what’s wearing on people quicker these days…the constant shoveling or the dipping temperatures.

While shoveling may seem impossible at times, even more daunting is trying to convince stubborn kids that coats, hats and boots are not optional. If your kids are like mine, convincing them that function needs to beat out fashion this season is most certainly an uphill climb!

This time of year, there are three cold-related injuries to think about, all of which can be warded off by dressing appropriately for the weather: hypothermia, frostbite and frostnip.

Hypothermia, frostnip and frostbite are all caused by exposure to the cold and are avoidable with proper thermal clothing and avoidance of outdoor activities during dangerous cold spells. In general, the further below zero the wind-chill falls, the shorter the time it will take for any of these cold-related injuries to occur. Most schools schools all follow very strict guidelines for outdoor recess during cold snaps to keep kids safe from the cold and avoid these cold-related issues. This is why the schools insist that kids have snow suits and boots to play in the snow and why kids are kept indoors during cold weather advisories and when the temperature drops below zero. Encourage your family to follow these same guidelines for home and recreational activities. So, if it’s too cold for outdoor recess, than it’s too cold to build a snowman or hit the slopes.

Cold-related injuries can be very serious and early identification and treatment is essential. Hypothermia develops when the body’s core temperature drops below normal. The body essentially freezes and major systems stop functioning normally. Symptoms result from the body’s attempt to warm up and conserve energy. Early symptoms to watch for are shivering, clumsiness, and slurred speech. If you become concerned your child may be developing hypothermia, get your child in a warm environment and seek medical attention right away.

Frostnip and frostbite are two extremes of the same problem and result from direct cooling and freezing of the skin and underlying structures. Early on the skin turns white and becomes numb and is referred to as frostnip. Frostbite is an actual freezing of the skin and outer tissues. Fingers, toes, ears and nose are the most susceptible. They may appear pale, gray or blistered and the child may complain that the skin burns or feels numb. Frostbitten areas need to be warmed up with warm water. Wrap your child in a warm blanket and give hot cocoa to warm up the inside temperature. If the symptoms do not resolve in a few minutes, call your doctor.

Finally, practice what you preach for winter safety and dress – including the use of helmets. There is no better way to reinforce to a child what is important than a parent willing to follow the same rules – and, yes, ski helmets do come in adult sizes!

(Originally posted January 2005; Updated January 2011)

There are times in life I’m reminded of the 1980’s Billy Crystal parody, “You Look Marvelous”. The skit was a paroday of Fernando Lamas and gave birth to the phrase “You look marvelous…it’s not how you feel, it’s how you look!!”

If you want a great pick me up, take the next 4 minutes and listen to the song:

What’s astonishing is that a song that was meant to be tongue and cheek has become a theme song for a generation of people who were infants and small children when the song was first aired. These folks are the folks who wear makeup to pick there kids up from school, wear designer clothes at the supermarket, and would never, ever think of admitting to illness when an appearance at an event is at steak, whether it be a playdate, a family event or a social gathering.

I’ve thought about this song a great deal lately as it seems we’re constantly finding ourselves in social gatherings where one of the children ends up being sick. Recently we were at on such gathering and a parent of a child casually told us that his son had been up all night vomiting. “But, he’s fine now – a real trooper. He’s not eating much but I can’t blame him for that.”  Given that many of the folks who had contact with this child came down with crud awfully similar to what he had, I’d beg to differ.

The reality is this scenario is frighteningly common. Parents are blinded to how contagious their children are to other people and how much time it takes to truly recover from these infections. The thought of not attending a social event is simply not an option more times than not and often met with comments such as:

“What if I give acetaminophen or ibuprofen?”

“What if she just doesn’t eat?”

“We’ll only stay a few minutes – he won’t even talk to anyone.”

“I promise she won’t cough or sneeze on anyone but me.”

The majority of illnesses we all get are viruses. They tend to come on very quickly and last a good 1-2 weeks. When any of us have a virus, a flu or stomach virus, or even a cold, we’re contagious right before we develop our symptoms and then for a few days after our symptoms go away.

So, take a stomach flu. Even if your child has one of those fast and furious ones that seems to come on out of no where and then goes away in a few hours, your child is still contagious for at least another day. Heading to a party a few hours after the last time your child threw up still exposes everyone at the party to the stomach bug.

When considering attending a party, or sending your child to school, the other issue, of course, is considering the other kids and adults at the event. Not knowing their health histories or those in their households, we could be placing them in enormous risk should they catch whatever our kids have. For example, someone could have an immune issue or be on a medication that suppresses the immune system. They could have someone at home who is under treatment for a cancer or other immune disorder that puts them at risk for battling even the most mild of infections. In other words, the decision to attend a part impacts not just our family but every family at the event.

So, as your child recovers from his next illness, just remember that looking marvelous is fantastic and a great sign your child is on the path to good health again. But, before you put your child back in the social spotlight again, make sure enough time has passed for your child to truly feel as marvelous as your child looks.

For more information:

When to keep kids home from school and daycare

The Stomach Flu

What a wild weather ride it has been in New England lately!

First, we get one of the worst tornados of the area. Second, an earthquake occurs in the DC area and is felt throughout Massachusetts. Now, we have Hurricane Irene to contend with. Already a Category 3 and likely not to be much less intense if computer models have any accuracy at all.

Growing up in New England and living in the midwest for a time, I’m used to strong weather. However, I can’t recall another period of time that was so filled with so many different types of intense weather in one small period of time.

I remember some whoppers of storms in college, including Hurricane Andrew, where getting the community information was literally a door to door event. Truly – teachers, administrators, dorm advisors truly went door to door  making sure everyone knew what was ahead and what to do. Luckily, with our 24/7 connected culture, we all have the information almost before it occurs!

While facing a hurricane is unsettling, there’s a great deal we can do to prepare and stay safe:

1. Stay informed. Keep up with the forecast and know your risk for being in arm’s reach of this massive storm on either www.weather.com or your local news station. Knowing the predicted impact of the storm in your area is the only way for you to take the necessary steps to keep your family safe.
2. Be realistic. This isn’t a time to become an ad hoc storm chaser. With maps of the storm’s path and intensity, we can all juggle our schedules and plans to stay out of the direct path.
3. Be prepared! Go to www.ready.gov and spruce up your family emergency plan and print a list of home emergency items to be sure you have on hand in case you find yourself stuck at home for a couple days due to the storm’s intensity. As part of storm preparations, be sure you clue your kids into what’s going on.

We can’t control this storm but we can control our response to it. As long as we’re all a step ahead of Irene, our family and those we know should stay safe and sound.

(Image 1, Image 2)

Family Works: When to call the doctor: MyFoxBOSTON.com

This was the temperature my car was reading yesterday:

Here’s today’s temperature so far:

Due to the humidity, though, the heat index is well above 100 and it feels that way. The air is so thick, it’s hard to breathe and do much more than chill out.

During a heat wave like this, the best approach is to stay cool, drink a lot of water and avoid too much exertion outside. For more information on heat waves, ways to stay safe in the heat and symptoms to watch for that mean a serious heat-related illness is developing, click here.

You don’t need to read the headlines to know summer is finally here. Just stepping outside it’s clear we are in that “hazy, hot and humid” phase of the season.

We all know that summer sun packs a punch with heat and humidity but a few times a year the elements go on overdrive and we experience a heat wave. Coast to coast, the temperatures this week are not just high but off the charts – well above 100 degrees in some areas. If the heat index reaches these temperatures for 3 consecutive days most meteorologists start using the term “heat wave” – which is what the entire country is in starting today as this level of heat is expected through the weekend.

To give you an idea how hot the temperature is, check this out:

And, this:

Think about it…the heat index is so high we can cook a steak in our car and 3/4 of a bottle of water evaporates in record time. Applying this to people, the outside temperatures are so high that serious injury can occur quickly from burns by touching or sitting on hot objects to developing life-threatening illnesses due to the heat itself: heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

These heat-related illnesses can develop incredibly quickly, especially in older adults and kids. So, it’s incredibly important that during heat waves we work hard to keep everyone cool and make sure everyone is drinking enough water.

The weather alert New England, my romping ground, is similar to most of the country. As posted by The Boston Channel, this is what we can expect and need to look out for over the next few days:

“Excessive heat watch remains in effect from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon,
Locations, northern Connecticut, northern Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and all of Massachusetts except the east slopes of the berkshires and the cape and islands.

Hazards, excessive heat with high temperatures between 95 and 100 Thursday and Friday afternoon/s. Heat index values, up to 105 degrees.

Timing, Thursday and Friday afternoon and evenings mainly from noon to 8 pm each day.

Impacts, excessive heat may lead to heat illnesses for children, the elderly and those performing strenuous physical activities during the heat of the day.

Precautionary/preparedness actions,
An excessive heat watch means that dangerously hot temperatures are expected, with heat indices of 105 degrees or greater. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will create a dangerous situation in which heat illnesses are possible. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear light weight and loose fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water. During oppressive heat and humidity, avoid prolonged exposure in the sun, drink plenty of fluids, try to stay in an air-conditioned environment, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

To reduce risk during outdoor work the occupational safety and health administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency, call 9 1 1.”

Here’s some information on the major heat-related illnesses to be on the watch for:

Heat Cramps are muscle cramps that can be very uncomfortable. They often develop in the legs, stomach and arms. Treatment includes getting the person to a cool place, stretching the affected muscle and drinking a lot of fluids. This is a situation where drinking a sports drink can help since it’s the loss of electrolytes in sweat that contributes to the cramp.

Heat Syncope is when a person passes out after having been standing for a long while or when moving from sitting to standing quickly. Kids need to be properly hydrated to stand for long times and if participating in outside activities, standing for a while without drinking, they are at risk for this. If a child does faint, they usually wake up right away after they pass out. Keep the child lying down in a cool place and drinking until they feel better. If they child doesn’t wake up right away, call 911. In my experience, kids who pass out from heat-related dehydration tend to need more fluids than they can take in orally so they often need to come to the ER. If a child can’t drink well and stand up without being dizzy, call an ambulance to get the child to an ER where they can cool down better and get some cool IV fluids.

Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke both require medical attention and can become life-threatening if not attended to quickly.

Heat Exhaustion is all the symptoms of dehydration in a child who looks exhausted and tired and has a temperature, but less than 104. The child is often profusely sweating to attempt to cool down.  This is an urgent situation which is best treated in the emergency room. If you don’t feel you can get the child to the emergency room quickly by car, call 911 so treatment can begin with trained professionals ASAP.

Heat Stroke is always a 911 moment. A child with heat stroke with have an off the chart fever (104 or higher), mental status changes, and perhaps even seizures. If awake, the child may be truly delirious and not making any sense at all. It is very frightening to witness. Unlike heat exhaustion, this child won’t be sweating – there is no more fluid to sweat out. These kids need to be treated by an emergency room team and cooled very carefully with chilled IV fluid and ice. While waiting for the ambulance, remove some of the child’s clothes and if you have ice, place the ice under the child’s neck and armpits to start cooling down the child’s body. If you have a spray bottle, spraying with cool water on the skin can help and offering fluids if the child is awake enough to drink useful. But, this may not be possible. When in doubt, just wait for the emergency team.

So, don’t tempt fate. The next few days will be a perfect time to hit that movie or museum you’ve wanted to take your kids to. And, if you do have to be outside, do so with care.

Summer safety tips on sun, dehydration and bugs.