Although the death of a child is never easy to understand, these are especially difficult since they often occur while your child is 'playing' or participating in an extracurricular activity.
How do you prevent these injuries and deaths? Avoiding sports altogether is definitely not the answer. Playing organized sports can help your child stay fit and healthy, build self esteem and learn the importance of teamwork. Instead, there are many steps that you and your child can take to stay healthy while playing sports, whether they are typical collision sports (boxing, ice hockey, football, rodeo, etc), contact sports (basketball and soccer), limited contact sports (baseball, cheerleading, softball, volleyball, skating, gymnastics, etc.) or non-contact sports (tennis, bowling, dancing, golf, running, swimming, weight lifting, etc.).
Wearing Protective Equipment
This is the easiest safety tip to think about. Everyone knows the importance of wearing protective equipment, such as helmets and pads. Other equipment you should think about having your child wear include:- protective eyewear, such as glasses with polycarbonate or CR-39 lenses or sports goggles. According to the AAP, this is especially important 'for all functionally one-eyed individuals and for athletes who have had eye surgery or trauma and whose ophthalmologists recommend eye protection.'
- mouth guards, including those that are ready made or custom made for a better fit
- athletic supporters
- face guards and face protectors
- pads, including knee, elbow, and/or shoulder pads, shin guards and wrist guards, depending on the sport your child is playing
- hats and sunscreen to prevent sunburns
