Featured Content | Health & Wellness

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Boating and Lake Safety: 6 Must-Know Rules When You’re On the Water

To help keep you and your family safe, the experts from the Children's Health Injury Prevention program offer up these boating and lake safety tips.

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Vaccines protect children from crippling or fatal diseases

Vaccines protect children from getting sick from many crippling or deadly illnesses. Thanks to decades of immunization, diseases like measles and polio are mostly a thing of the past in the U.S. "Despite what you may have heard, vaccines are quite safe for children," says Jeffrey Kahn, M.D., Director of Infectious Disease at Children’s. "In fact, the risks to your child from catching the diseases vaccines prevent far outweigh any threat posed by the vaccines themselves."

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Backyard trampolines are not safe for children

Although jumping, bouncing and summersaulting on trampolines may be fun for kids, it’s not worth the risk. About 100,000 children, in the U.S., are injured on trampolines every year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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8 Facts about food allergies in children

Allergies are one of the most common health conditions affecting children (age 0-17). Food allergies currently affect 4 - 6% of our youth in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the number of children diagnosed with food allergies is steadily increasing – up 18% in the past decade.

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Talking with your child about suicide

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults, according to the CDC. Most suicide attempts in children and adolescents occur in the midst of depression or other mood disorders. Nearly one in five high schoolers have seriously considered suicide within the past 12 months, and about 8% have made an attempt. Many do not want to die, but they feel ambivalent (i.e., have mixed feelings) about life and simply want to end emotional or physical pain. Suicide is 100% preventable and there are effective treatments to help. Dr. Nicholas J. Westers, a clinical psychologist at Children’s Health, offers the following advice for parents.

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3 Cool Rules for Being Safe in the Pool

A swimming pool is a great place for kids to cool off. It's also a great place for kids to get into trouble when no one's looking. How well does your child swim? Pool safety starts before your child ever gets into the water and understanding your child’s skill level can help you make smart decisions about water safety. You can learn more about your child’s swimming ability by going to your local YMCA to receive a FREE swim assessment. If your child is not a strong swimmer, enroll him or her in swim classes. The YMCA offers swimming classes for children six months and up. Even children that pass a swim assessment can benefit from additional swim instruction. Learning the rules of the water and how to be a strong swimmer is a great defense against drowning.

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Vacation Checklist - Healthy Holiday Travel Tips

Whether you’re taking a day trip to see the holiday lights and pretty poinsettias in a nearby town or traveling across the country to share feasts and festivities with relatives this holiday season, you’ll need essential supplies to keep your children happy and healthy along the way.

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Cool off your child’s risk of heat stroke this summer

Summer can be a season of fun for kids. School’s out, and they’re ready for pool parties, barbecues, weeknight ice cream outings and cool camps where they can meet lifelong friends.

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5 Tips for Preventing Hot Car Deaths

We all know that the Texas summer heat is serious business. But did you know that Texas leads the nation in hot car deaths? Each year an average of 10 children in Texas die from being left a hot car. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, on a relatively mild 80-degree day, the temperature inside a car can rise 19 degrees in just 10 minutes. And because a child's body heats up three to five times faster than an adult's, the risk of heat stroke, brain damage and death is much greater for children left in hot cars.

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Car seat safety tips for your child’s growth and age levels

Using child car seats helps save lives and prevent injuries – it’s also the law in Texas. A child who is under the age of eight years must use a car or booster seat, unless the child is taller than 4 feet 9 inches.

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A deeper dive into pool safety rules

We’ve already shared the three essential rules to pool safety. Now let’s dive deep into some more helpful water safety tips to keep your pool safe all year around.