Review your family’s walking safety rules and practice walking to school with your child.

• Walk on the sidewalk, if one is available; when on a street with no sidewalk, walk facing the traffic
• Before you cross the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections
• Stay alert and avoid distracted walking

Teach your child the rules of the road and practice riding the bike route to school with your child.

• Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in a single file
• Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street
• Stay alert and avoid distracted riding
• Make sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing

Teach your children school bus safety rules and practice with them.

• Go to the bus stop with your child to teach them the proper way to get on and off the bus
• Teach your children to stand 6 feet (or three giant steps) away from the curb
• If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, teach him or her to walk on the side of the road until they are 10 feet ahead of the bus; your child and the bus driver should always be able to see each other
• Get the facts on bus safety from Injury Facts

Choose a backpack for your child carefully; it should have ergonomically designed features to enhance safety and comfort.

• Ask your children to use both straps when wearing their backpack to evenly distribute the weight on their shoulders
• Don’t overstuff a backpack; it should weigh no more than 10% of your child’s body weight
• Rolling backpacks should be used cautiously since they can create a trip hazard in crowded school hallways
• Refer to our previous blog post about backpack safety for more suggestions: https://kidsfracturecare.com/2017/08/backpack-health-and-safety/

• To reduce strangulation hazards on playgrounds, have your child leave necklaces and jackets with drawstrings at home
• Wear proper shoes during school especially for outdoor recess, PE or gym class. Please refer to our previous blog post on proper shoe wear for suggestions: https://kidsfracturecare.com/2018/07/picking-the-right-shoe-for-your-child/
• A few bumps and bruises can be expected when your child plays sports, but head injuries should never be ignored
• Any high impact fall or injury off of slides, swings or playground equipment should not be ignored. Please contact your Pediatric Orthopaedic provider for any bone and joint injury.

Hopefully with these suggestions, you and your child will be able to navigate the new school year with safety. Remember, injuries at school should not be ignored and please contact us for any Pediatric Orthopaedic needs.  If you would like more information on back to school safety, feel free to follow the provided link to the National Safety Council website: https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/seasonal-safety/back-to-school