Children’s health

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Summer safety for younger children

Helping Disabled Young Adults Integrate Themselves Into The Workforce

Summer safety for younger children

While it’s important to be prepared for any dangers that children might face during the summer, it’s also important to let them run around and have fun.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) believes that children’s activity and play need to be as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.

“Summer is a great time for children to get out and experience the world around them,” says David Walker, head of leisure safety at RoSPA. “During the summer months, we see a rise in injuries associated with play and leisure activities. You need to be aware of safely issues, but this isn’t a reason to stop children enjoying activities. In many cases, simple steps can be taken to avoid injury.”

New environments

If you go to stay with friends or relatives, their home or garden might not be as child-friendly as your home.

Children like to explore new surroundings, so make sure they don’t go far on their own. Ask your hosts to place medicines and cleaning products out of sight and out of reach. Make sure you also check features such as ponds, barbecues and garden tools.

A few simple steps, such as nominating an adult to watch the children at a party, can reduce the risks.

Read more about preventing accidents to children.

Be safe around water

“Water fascinates young kids,” says David. “It’s great fun and great exercise, but any of us can drown.

“Even the best supervisors and carers can get briefly distracted, and all it takes to drown is three minutes face-down in water.”

In 2012, 18 children under the age of 15 drowned in the UK. This included four at the beach or coast, and five in the bath. Among the 16-19 age group, 24 people drowned, at sites including beaches, rivers, canals and lakes. Seven of these happened while swimming, and three from jumping or diving into water.

Ponds

Younger children between two and six years old are particularly vulnerable to drowning in features such as ponds or small water containers.

“Between 5 and 10 children a year drown in garden ponds,” says David. “If you’ve got a toddler, the best thing to do is fill the pond in with sand to make a sand pit. Otherwise, cover the pond with a substantial grille, or put a fence around it.”

Open water

Older children, especially teenagers, are most at risk from features near to homes such as rivers, lakes, flooded quarries and coastal water near to the shore. Having an early conversation with teens about the risks of colder, open water is important.

Even the strongest swimmer can be affected by cold water shock, which affects your ability to control breathing. This can lead to gasping, panic and – in the worst cases – drowning. Cold water shock can start in water of 15C – the average temperature of the sea around Britain is 12C.

Choosing to swim at a lifeguarded beach or lido is the safest option. Get in slowly, choose shallow spots, and if you’re at the beach, check for dangerous currents and tides. Always follow local safety advice if you are going into open water.

Read more about beach safety.

Holiday pools, villas and hotels

Holidays can be the highlight of the summer. When booking a holiday, check the following:

Does the pool have a lifeguard or pool attendant? It is often the case that a pool attendant is only responsible for keeping the poolside clean, rather than ensuring safety in the water.

Does the pool have a barrier? In many countries, such as France, this is now the law. Having a fence is particularly important at villas if you have younger children.

Safety check list

Remember these safety tips if you and your family are visiting an area where there is water:

Go for a walk around the pool, beach, lake or river, looking for any hazards (such as rocks) and where the emergency equipment is.

Ask if there is a lifeguard on duty – remember, a pool attendant isn’t the same as a lifeguard and might not have the same qualifications

Read the water safety information signs at the beach, and ask a lifeguard or tourist information officer where the safest area is to swim.

Ask if there are any dangerous currents or tides.

Consider taking a short (one or two-hour) course in first aid and the key things to know in an emergency

Finally, holidays and the summer months are a great time for children to learn swimming and water safety skills. Many councils and holiday companies offer intensive courses.

The RoSPA website provides factsheets on a range of topics, including child safety and water safety.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office offers Know Before You Go travel safety advice.

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Sports people lead the way in encouraging more young children to stay active

Sam Quek

Sam Quek

British gold medallist Sam Quek surprises hockey club

Over a quarter of children have sports role models, according to new research by Sun-Pat Peanut Butter. The research reveals that 9 out of 10 adults who played sport as a child encourage their children to be active now, with 65% of adults who didn’t play sport as a child saying they still encourage their child to play sport now.

23% of adults had a sporting role model as a child and 87% of them were active throughout their childhood, and taking a lead from their parents, over a quarter of children (26%) today have a sporting role model.

The research also found that over half a million children want to be a hockey player when they grow up. “When I grow up, I just want to be like Sam Quek,” exclaims one of the girls after playing alongside British Gold medallist for Hockey, Sam Quek who is giving young children a chance to learn hockey skills and see her in action.

Sam is offering young hockey enthusiasts a chance to fuel up and stay active during the Easter holidays. Children aged 6-13 year old can enter for a chance to win a free hockey lesson.

With the research showing that 61% of Brits struggle to find activities to entertain their child during the Easter school holidays, enjoying a game of hockey with Sam Quek could be the perfect solution.

Hockey classes will be taking place in five locations nationwide during the Easter holidays:

Monday 10thApril, 11am – 12:30pm Spencer Hockey Club, London

Monday 10th April, 7pm-8pm Bristol & West Hockey Club, Bristol

Tuesday 11th April, 4pm – 5:30pm Bowdon Hockey Club, Manchester

Thursday 13th April, 10am–11:30pm Whitley Bay & Tynemouth Hockey Club, Newcastle

Thursday 13th April, 4pm – 5:30pm Clydesdale & Clydesdale Western Hockey Club, Glasgow

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Be a Valentine and help save Glenfield children’s heart centre

Members of the public can show their love for the children’s heart centre at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital today (14 February) by signing a giant Valentine’s card.

Save Glenfield Hospital Children's Heart Unit

Save Glenfield Hospital Children’s Heart Unit

The 1.8m x 1.2m card will be set up in the Haymarket shopping centre from 10.30am today, giving shoppers the chance to show their support for the campaign to save the centre on a day when matters of the heart are uppermost in people’s minds.

Deputy City Mayor Cllr Rory Palmer has organised the Valentine’s Day-themed event as he continues to urge NHS England to reconsider its proposal to close the children’s heart centre at Glenfield.

“On Valentine’s Day, when many people will be reflecting on matters of the heart, we’ve got an opportunity to remind NHS England and the Government that there’s a lot of love in Leicester for the Glenfield children’s heart centre,” he said.

“Nearly 130,000 people have signed a petition to save the unit, hundreds of primary school children have taken part in a day of action to show their support for the campaign, and more than 1,000 people joined the latest protest on Saturday. I hope that hundreds more will show their love for the unit by adding their names to our Valentine’s card tomorrow.”

The giant card – which bears the ‘Hold on to our Hearts’ logo, developed by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust – will be in the Clock Tower mall at the Haymarket shopping centre until 4pm tomorrow.

It will then be moved to the entrance hall at Glenfield Hospital.

NHS England launched a national consultation on the future of congenital heart disease services last week. The online survey can be completed at www.engage.england.nhs.uk 

The consultation will run until Monday 5 June.

As part of the consultation process, NHS England has organised a question time event, which will be held at the Leicester Tigers on 9 March at 5.45pm. Places – which are limited – must be reserved online.

A march in support of the Glenfield children’s heart centre took place in Leicester on Saturday (11 February) and a petition, bearing nearly 130,000 signatures, was handed into Downing Street last week.

Leicester City Council has put £50,000 into a fighting fund to help pay for costs that may be incurred in securing the future of the children’s heart centre.

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Night Terrors – Helping Children with Nightmares

Helping children with nightmares

Helping children with nightmares

Many children experience nightmares and night terrors, but most grow out of them. They don’t cause any long-term psychological harm to your child.

Night terrors are very different from nightmares.

A child having night terrors may scream and thrash around, and may not recognise you if you try to comfort them. This behaviour occurs on waking abruptly from deep, non-dream sleep. Your child won’t be fully awake during these episodes and will have no memory of it the next morning.

Nightmares occur from dream sleep (REM sleep). Your child may wake up from the nightmare and, depending on their age, may be able to remember and describe the bad dream to you.

Both night terrors and nightmares in children are described in more detail below, along with advice about what you should do.

Night terrors

Night terrors are common in children aged between three and eight years. A child who experiences night terrors may scream, shout and thrash around in extreme panic, and may even jump out of bed. Their eyes will be open but they’re not fully awake.

The episodes usually occur in the early part of the night, continue for several minutes (up to 15 minutes) and sometimes occur more than once during the night.

Why they happen

Night terrors are more common in children with a family history of night terrors or sleepwalking behaviour.

A night terror attack may be triggered by anything that:

increases how much deep sleep your child has, such as tiredness, fever or certain types of medication

makes your child more likely to wake from deep sleep, such as excitement, anxiety, sudden noise or a full bladder

What you should do

The best thing to do if your child is having an episode of night terrors is to stay calm and wait until they calm down. Don’t intervene or interact with them, unless they’re not safe.

Night terrors can be frightening to witness, but they don’t harm your child. You shouldn’t attempt to wake your child when they’re having an episode. They may not recognise you and may become more agitated if you try to comfort them.

After the episode has ended, it’s safe to wake your child. If necessary, encourage them to use the toilet before settling them back to sleep.

If your child returns quickly into deep sleep, they may have another episode. Making sure they’re fully awake before they go back to sleep can break this cycle.

Your child won’t remember the episode the next morning, but it may still help to have a general chat to find out if anything is worrying them and triggering the episodes. It will also help if they have a relaxing bedtime routine. Try not to discuss the episodes with your child in a way that worries them as this may increase their anxiety.

If the night terror episodes are frequent and occur at a specific time every night, you may find that waking your child breaks the cycle. Wake your child 15 minutes before the anticipated time of the episode every night for seven days. This can disrupt their sleep pattern enough to stop the episodes without affecting sleep quality.

When you should seek help

Most children eventually grow out of night terrors. However, talk to your GP if they’re occurring several times a night or occurring most nights.

Your GP will be able to check whether something that’s easily treatable is causing the episodes. For example, large tonsils could be causing breathing problems at night and waking your child.

In a small number of children who have frequent episodes of night terrors, referral to a specialist service may be needed.

Nightmares

Nightmares are common in children aged three to six years. Most children grow out of them.

Nightmares usually occur later in the night and cause strong feelings of terror, fear, distress or anxiety. Your child may wake up and be able to remember and describe the dream to you.

Nightmares in children can be caused by a frightening experience, such as watching a scary film, or by something that’s worrying them.

What you should do

Talk to your child to find out whether anything is worrying them that could be triggering their nightmares. As with night terrors, making sure your child has a relaxing bedtime routine will also help.

Take your child to see your GP if they’re having repeated nightmares (a series of nightmares with a recurring theme). If your child’s nightmares are being caused by a stressful past experience, they may need counselling.

Useful Links

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Tips Playtime with Blind and visually impaired children. (And they help with sensory play for children on the autism spectrum!)

This infographic gives several tips and ideas for parents on games that are suitable for blind and visually impaired children, as well as games that are inclusive and can be played by those sighted and non-sighted.

And how you can adapt toys to be more user friendly for a visually impaired child.

There are creative ways to get your kids involved in arts and crafts too and fun activities that will help them learn how to play and develop their sensory skills. Which is why they are great for children on the autism spectrum!

Playtime with Blind and visually impaired children
Playtime with Blind and visually impaired children by Wooden Toy Shop