Health &
Wellness Library
Articles, videos and more to keep your family healthy.
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If you're a Baby Boomer or part of Generation X, you may or may not have worn a bicycle helmet when you cruised around the neighborhood with your friends. These days, we're a lot safer. Most kids learn to put their helmet on before they even test out their first pair of training wheels.
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A swimming pool is a great place for kids to cool off during the hot summer months – but without proper health and safety rules, swimming can pose serious risks to children. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in the United States. Whether you have a backyard pool, a hot tub or take your child elsewhere to swim, keep these essential pool safety rules in mind to help prevent drowning and improve pool and water safety.
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Summer vacation provides a much-appreciated break from the busy school year. But a couple months away from the classroom can also lead to learning loss between grades.
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Have fun with your children at pools, lakes and beaches – boating, swimming or just playing in the sand!
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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 camps where they can meet lifelong friends.
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Summer is a favorite time of year for many children – and for good reason. The long days of summer provide a much-anticipated break from school and are often filled with swimming, cookouts, travel and outdoor fun. But summer can also carry danger for children. Drowning incidents increase during the summer months, and the hot sun puts kids at risk of sunburn, dehydration and heat-related illness.
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According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of disease cases from mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled from 2004 to 2016.
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Did you know that Texas leads the nation in child hot car deaths? According to KidsAndCars.org, 143 children died from vehicular heatstroke in Texas between 1990 and 2020. Hot car deaths in 2018 were at an all-time high with a total of 54 children dying in hot cars nationwide.
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As the weather gets warmer, it's not only kids who come out to play – all the creepy-crawlies do, too. With all sorts of bugs flying and crawling around playgrounds and your backyard, your child might be more at risk of a bug bite or sting during the warmer months.
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Research shows that just five serious sunburns can greatly increase a child's risk of developing skin cancer later in life. The hot summer months are a good time to take stock of how parents can best protect their children's skin.
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Drowning prevention and water safety is important year-round. Learn pool safety tips for all seasons from Children's Health.
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Just because playgrounds are designed for kids doesn't mean they are injury-proof. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200,000 children go to the emergency department for a playground-related injury each year. These injuries can include fractures as well as traumatic brain injuries such as concussions.
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For many, the Juneteenth and Fourth of July holidays are a highlight of summer – and fireworks are often part of the festivities. Because of how common they are, many parents may think at-home fireworks are harmless for their children, but that is, unfortunately, not true. More than 10,000 people are treated in emergency departments in the U.S. each year due to fireworks injuries. Of these, nearly a third are children under age 15.
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When it comes to sunscreen, there are so many choices you may not know which option is the best sunscreen for kids. Sunscreen, or sunblock, protects skin against the sun's ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, which cause sunburn.
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Over the summer, without classmates or schoolwork, many children find themselves a little bored.
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Many kids and teens associate the onset of summer break with freedom – no homework, no tardy bells and no schedules.
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With warm weather and summertime, many families will head to the lake to beat the heat and cool off. To keep you and your family safe, the experts from the Children’s Health℠ Injury Prevention program offer these boating and lake safety rules for kids.
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Summer is a favorite time of year for many children – and for good reason. The long days of summer provide a much-anticipated break from school and are often filled with swimming, cookouts, travel and outdoor fun. But summer can also carry danger for children. Drowning incidents increase during the summer months, and the hot sun puts kids at risk of sunburn, dehydration and heat-related illness.
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Children's Health experts want kids to have a fun and SAFE summer. We have tips you need to know about how to properly use a life jacket before your child makes a splash in the pool.
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During the summer months, outdoor activities are in full swing and the sun is shining bright. It's important to teach children that a healthy and safe summer starts with protecting their skin.
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Every year, more than 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites and at least half of them are children, per the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. Children are, by far, the most common victims of dog bites and are more likely to be severely injured.
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Pool parties are a great way for kids to cool off, celebrate and get some extra energy out during the warmer months. However, being in the water comes with some risks. Drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the U.S. – and data from Children's Health℠ shows that 38.8% of children who came to the ER for a drowning event were swimming in a new environment, such as at a pool party.
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The summer months bring excessive heat to North Texas – and with that heat also comes an excessive amount of insects. With many families spending time outdoors, conditions are just right for painful and annoying bug bites.
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Texas is home to its fair share of venomous snakes including copperheads, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths (water moccasins) and coral snakes. While these snakes and their bites are certainly frightening, snake bites are rare and rarely fatal. Each year, about 1 to 2 people in Texas die from snake bites.
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First discovered in 1947 in the Zika forest of Uganda, Africa, the Zika virus more recently became a concern in other parts of the world including South and Central America, the U.S. and even locally here in Texas.
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The groundwork for any healthy lifestyle habit is planning. Spending a few minutes each weekend planning meals and snacks for the upcoming week will save time and money by avoiding last-minute grocery runs or trips through the drive-through lane.
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Summer camp is a favorite childhood memory for many and can play an important role in a child's growth and development. Camp can help children build confidence, make new friends, try new activities and stretch their independence. Most importantly, camp is a place where kids can be kids and simply have fun.
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When you think of swimming pool safety, drowning prevention may be the first thing to come to mind. But recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shining light on another recreational water risk: Cryptosporidium (Crypto), a microscopic parasite that can linger in pool water for days and cause severe GI issues.
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Swimmer's ear (otitis externa) is an infection in the soft tissue of the outer ear, which is the part of the ear you can see outside of the eardrum. It's caused when bacteria or fungi break into the soft tissue and begin to grow and spread.
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Whether vacation involves driving across the country or flying to a new location, there's one item parents of infants and toddlers shouldn't forget to pack: their child's car seat.
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During the hot summer months, you might be wondering how to keep your children physically active. While high temperatures might tempt you to sit inside all day, health experts say it's important to keep moving.