Health and Safety

Dealing with obesity requires a commitment from the whole family. It will be much easier for your child to accept—maybe even embrace—changes to his eating habits and activity level if he's not going it alone. These recommendations apply to families who want to prevent obesity, too. Everyone can benefit from better nutrition and more physical...

Getting enough exercise and eating right are habits that start at home. Are you raising a healthy family? How do you score on a scale of overall fitness and healthy living? Take this quiz to find out.

The Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children came up with an easy way to help your family get and stay healthy by meeting five simple goals each day. See if everyone in your family can meet these goals for fitness, nutrition, and health.

Kids can suffer from many kinds of sports injuries, including sprains, broken bones, concussions, and heat stroke. Lists risks of physical activities, which sports cause the most injuries, and how to prevent and treat the most common injuries.

When done safely and with proper adult supervision, strength training for kids offers many health benefits. Learn more about how young kids can start strength training and what types of exercises are safe.

Just like adults, kids need to stretch their bodies. Especially during growth spurts, children's and teens' muscles may be tight. Make kids' stretching a part of their regular routine.

Sports concussions are a risk for any athlete, and that includes kids. There's no way to prevent all sports concussions, but you can take precautions to reduce risk. It's also critical to make sure your child gets treated adequately before he or she returns to play.

If your child experiences concussions symptoms or signs, take it seriously. Kids who sustain a head injury while playing sports should stop playing immediately (even if the injury seems minor) and be evaluated by a trained health professional.

Safety advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on how to keep kids safe during the winter months. Includes tips on staying warm and preventing injuries while skating, sledding, skiing, and snowboarding.

Coaches need to have the first aid chops to treat anything from small cuts and bruises to major life-threatening emergencies. Parents and players count on the coach to know first aid and to not hesitate in the face of an emergency.

For kids, bike safety can be an afterthought. But parents need to make safety rules and enforce them to reduce the risk of falls and other injuries. Know the best kids' bike safety rules.

To improve playground safety, remember the acronym SAFE, for Supervision, Age-appropriateness, cushioned Falls, and safe Equipment. Check home, public, and school playgrounds against this playground safety checklist before kids play.

If you're a runner, you probably know and follow safety rules. If your child bicycles, you require him to follow bike safety rules too. But what about road safety for kids and parents traveling together? Follow these guidelines.

These sun safety tips for families from the American Academy of Pediatrics help you keep your child safe while he plays outside in the sun.

Lower your child's risk of drowning by following these important pool safety guidelines. A backyard pool requires pool safety equipment and constant supervision.

Kids hate being bothered by bugs when they play outside (and mosquitoes and ticks can carry dangerous diseases). But are insect repellents safe? Learn the best ways to keep insects away.

Kids are susceptible to heat stress and other heat-related illnesses, such as dehydration, during exercise in hot weather. Learn how to prevent heat stress in your physically active child or teen during hot and humid weather. Share these guidelines with youth sports coaches.

Sports camps offer skill-building, physical activity, and team bonding, but campers also risk injury and illness. Learn the essential questions to ask about camp safety.

Is your child on par with her peers when it comes to physical activity levels and nutritious eating?

Outdoor play helps kids get the physical activity they need every day, plus it's fun for the whole family. But playing outside exposes your kids to some hazards too. Know and enforce important summer safety rules to lower your family's risk of injuries and illness.

The start of a new school year is a good opportunity to create or revive good health and fitness habits. Add these back-to-school health changes into your get-ready plans.

Make sure your Halloween stays happy by following these Halloween safety tips, recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Includes guidelines for costumes and for trick-or-treating.

National Playground Safety Week has three goals: to focus on children's outdoor play areas, to teach kids how to play safely, and to thank adults who work to make and keep playgrounds safe.