Child Safety Checklist continued

ROAD Learn to use your child’s car seat the right way. Use this checklist to help.

Teach your children to ride their bikes on the right hand side of the road, with traffic and to use appropriate hand signals.

Make sure your child has a helmet, and take the helmet safety fit test to check that it fits properly.

Add lights or reflectors to your child’s bike to be visible to drivers when it’s dark out.

Add reflectors to your child’s backpack and coats. Wearing light or brightly colored clothing and reflective gear will make kids more visible to drivers as they walk.

Walk the route your child takes to school to practice crossing and make sure their path is safe.

Register all car seats to learn if there are recalls.

Teach kids to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.

Check to make sure your car seat is still right for your growing child. The label on your car seat will help determine if it is the right sat for your child’s age, weight, height, and development.

Take the pledge to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street.

Take 5 minutes to do this interactive infographic with your child that shows how to avoid getting hit by a car.

Talk to your teen about buckling up every ride, every time, every car, every driver. RITA SMITH

PLAY Make sure your young athlete has a water bottle to bring to practices and games. For every 20 minutes of play, a young athlete should drink about 10 gulps of water.

Learn the signs and symptoms of a concussion and encourage athletes to speak up if they get hurt.

Review your child’s sports schedule for the year. Make sure they have at least one or two days off each week from any particular sport and a two month break between season.

Learn the location of an AED at your child’s practice location.

Make sure your child’s coach has all your child’s emergency contact information.

Check that the playgrounds where your children play have shock absorbing surfaces. Rubber, synthetic turf, sand, pea gravel, wood chips or mulch are the safest options. Also, look for hazards, such as rusted or broken equipment. Alert the school or the local parks and reaction office if a playground is unsafe.