Keep Kids Warm And Safe

Keep kids warm and safe. Below freezing and negative temperatures are common winter occurrences across Alaska. If your family will be outdoors, plan ahead to keep kids warm and safe. Reduce the risk of hypothermia, frostbite, and accidents during cold weather months.

Make A Plan To Keep Kids Warm and Safe

Make a plan of where your kids will be and how long you’ll be outdoors. If your children want to spend a lot of time outdoors, incorporate breaks to come indoors and warm up before going back outside. If there are children playing in groups, plan to check-in periodically, ensuring everyone stays safe and is having fun.

Be sure everyone has eaten and had a glass of water before leaving the house. Take breaks from spending long periods of time outdoors to get warm indoors and refuel and rehydrate.

Keep Kids Warm

There’s an increased risk for children during winter to experience frostbite or hypothermia. Their smaller bodies not only burn energy more quickly, requiring more frequent snacks and drinks, but kids also lose body heat more easily. Follow these tips for dressing to keep kids warm:

• Dress in layers to better control body temperature when staying out for long periods. 
• Avoid cotton-based clothing for base layers. Cotton retains moisture which could lower body temperature.
• Wear a middle layer that keeps the body well insulated, like wool or down clothing.
• Outer layers should be weather appropriate to protect from snow, wind, rain, or extreme temperatures.

Keep all areas of the body warm by having all winter gear available when leaving the house. A hat, face mask, gloves or mittens, a scarf or neck warmer, warm socks, and weather resistant boots will ensure extremities are kept warm and dry.

Gearing Up For Warmth and Safety

The school bus is a great resource for children to travel to and from school. Much of the school year in Alaska involves colder weather, making it important to consider school bus safety in winter months. Help children ensure they arrive to school and return home safely.

In winter, children need to be bundled up in layers. Buses may break down or heaters may not work properly.

It is also important for children to wear reflective gear when traveling via bus because days are short in Alaska. Children traveling alone to the bus stop or children that are first on or last off especially need to be seen by drivers.

Many schools try to route bus stops close to children’s homes. If the bus stop is further from your home and your child walks to their stop, give your child a flashlight to carry. Visibility helps keep kids safe.

School Bus Awareness

When driving near a school bus route or during peak hours, look for school buses regularly. Do not follow too closely as school buses take longer to stop. Icy roads and snow buildup may delay stopping time for buses.

When a school bus has the stop sign up, stop your vehicle and wait. Children sometimes run out in front of vehicles because they are distracted or do not know better. It is up to you to keep kids safe by paying attention when a school bus is nearby.

If you see a school bus pulled over on the side of the road, slow down and keep an eye out for the driver or children when passing. School bus drivers often need to stop to add chains to tires or clean the windshield and windows to keep kids safe.

School buses are sometimes involved in accidents. If this happens, parents may need to file claims for children wo are hurt in the accident.

Keep Kids Safe As Pedestrians

It’s important for children to be visible so that other people and drivers are able to see them, especially after it gets dark out. Sunset in Alaska comes early in the winter months, leaving many pedestrians in the dark.

Keep kids safe with reflective gear or by adding reflective tape to the outermost layer of clothing to increase their visibility to drivers. Carrying a flashlight also helps drivers see them. 

Keep kids safe and warm. Teach children to stay to the side of roadways and to always wear their reflective winter layer clothing.

This piece on Keeping Kids Safe and Warm is the third of a nine-part winter safety series. See our safety tips for Outdoor Winter Walking Safety; Home Heating Safety; Cold Weather Vehicle Safety; Driving in Ice and Snow; Snowmachine Safety; Removing Ice and Snow Safely; and Surviving Extreme Cold.

Please call Johnson & Associates to discuss your case: (907)277-3090 or use our online contact form.

Johnson & Associates has been helping Alaskans for nearly 30 years. It’s who we are. And while we hope you never need us… We’re here if you do. ~ Doug Johnson

Sources: Healthy Children; American Heart Association

Image Source: USA Today