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In a moment my life changed forever.
I went from a highly-motivated and optimistic teenage athlete to an anxious girl plagued with constant headaches struggling just to get through a day.
New survey shows alarming number of athletes injured as a result of dirty play, athletes hiding injuries to stay in the game, and parents pressuring coaches to play injured athletes.
Washington, D.C.– Every day, 3,400 children sustain a sports injury severe enough to go to the emergency room. Safe Kids Worldwide, with the support of Johnson & Johnson, conducted a survey of parents, coaches and young athletes to explore how the culture of sports may be keeping kids out of the game.
There’s nothing that feels worse for young athletes than getting hurt and having to sit on the sidelines while their team goes on to victory. That’s why Safe Kids and Johnson & Johnson released a new report, “Changing the Culture of Youth Sports,” to explore how the culture of youth sports may be keeping kids out of the game.
Safe Kids is committed to keeping you informed about recalls of products which can put our kids at risk. While it is important to stay aware of all recalls, Safe Kids urges you to pay particular attention to ones in red, as they are associated with one or more deaths. (There are none in this issue.)
August 14, 2014
Safe Kids President and CEO Kate Carr discusses our new sports safety report with USA Today. In 2013 young athletes made 1.24 million trips to the emergency room because of sports related injuries, that’s 3,400 every day.
In May 2013, my eleven year-old son Giovanni was pitching for his little league baseball team in Staten Island, New York. It was the bottom of the fifth inning. He had already struck out two batters and the third batter, about a foot taller than my son, was on deck. Giovanni’s first pitch went right down the middle of the plate. The batter swung and hit, and the ball hit my son in the face.
How our experts are helping make it happen
We were delighted recently when our partners at Safe Kids China asked us to visit and conduct a child passenger safety certification course in Shanghai. Our goal was to teach and certify health and safety professionals in Shanghai about the benefits of using child safety restraints in the car.
This was a pretty important goal considering that only an estimated 2-3 percent of the population in China have or use car seats and as a result, too many children are injured or killed in car crashes every year.
Advice for new dads from a veteran (who is still learning)
Change every diaper.
That’s my first piece of advice for one of my best friends, Muppus, who just had a healthy baby boy. (We call him Muppus because that was the name of his band in high school.)
This is National Childhood Injury Prevention Week, which means it’s a great time to brush up on a few of the easiest things parents can do to keep their kids safe.
When it comes to safety for your children, you already know the basics: buckle up, wear a helmet, learn to swim, look both ways. Here are some lesser-known – but just as important – tips to help keep your family safe.
1. Tug on your kid’s car seat where the seat belt goes. If it moves more than 1” at the base, tighten it up. Need help with your child’s car seat? Watch for more tips:
As parents, our children’s safety is always at the forefront of our minds. We share so many amazing and exhilarating moments with them, but in an instant we can encounter frightening situations that call for a brave face even though the storm of uncertainty is brewing within us.