Top Ten Children's Summer Injuries

DAYTON, OH (WDTN) - Don't let your kids end up in the emergency room this summer. With all the cooking, hiking, playing, and sports, there are plenty of opportunities for kids to suffer serious injuries. Here's what you need to know to keep your kid's summer safe and fun.

It takes only seconds. As we interviewed a nurse about summer injuries, the potential for one developed right before our eyes, as a little girl began walking down a slide. "Sit down baby girl. Hey, sweetie, sit down. Sit down on your bottom. Good job. Thank you." said Lisa Schwing, a nurse with Dayton Children's Medical Center.

Falls top the list of most common injuries for kids birth to twelve years old, and they often happen on playgrounds. "What you want to make sure is that your kids are dressed appropriately for it. Avoid the flip flops, which predisposes them to tripping." says Schwing. Also, make sure the equipment they're climbing on is age appropriate and safe. Just this week we told you about an 18 month old who suffered second degree burns when she went down a hot plastic slide. Her babysitter Kelly Welsch was shocked. "I ran over there. She was on there for less than a minute and I went over and by the time I got over to her she actually lost it and went down and that's how she got the burn on her stomach." The slide was more than 160 degrees.

The pool provides a lot of fun in the summer, but it can bring extreme danger. Make sure there is constant supervision. "If you have other kids over, make sure you know how well they can swim. They may not be trained in the water as well." says Schwing. And when it comes to sports, hydration and the appropriate safety equipment are key.

For a complete list of the top ten summer injuries, go to the web links portion of the this page.