Norton Children’s Hospital offers winter safety tips for kids

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – As winter break approaches for many kids across South Central Kentucky, experts remind parents to keep safety in mind while they’re out having fun.

The biggest tip for heading outside is to dress children in layers. Kids lose body heat faster than adults, so layering helps keep them warm.

But if they’re getting into a car seat, too many layers can be dangerous. A light sweatshirt is best for riding in the car.

If they’re out playing, look for fleece. It keeps them warm while still allowing for safe, easy strapping into a car seat.

“When you’re in a car seat, we want that harness or the seatbelt for that matter to be as close to the child’s body as possible. So having thick layers and jackets and things like that in between that can allow for compression during a crash force and that can make the harness be a lot looser than what parents anticipate,” Kinzie Evrard, the Coordinator of Injury Prevention Programming for SafeKids Louisville at Norton Children’s, says.

When they make it outside to go sledding, pay close attention to them and watch out for others.

“Be mindful of other children that are out there sledding as well. If you’re an older child and you’re more experienced, stay away from those younger kids that are just trying it out. Encourage kids to go down feet first instead of head first. That will limit any kind of head injury that they would receive… and also we highly recommend using a helmet. It would just protect their head,” Evrard says.

Make sure any helmets or safety equipment fits properly, and be sure to take breaks every now and then to avoid getting frostbite.