Keep Sledding and Skating Safe for Your Child

Sledding and skating accidents can cause serious injury and death.

Follow these tips for safe sledding:

• Inspect a sledding course for hazards. Trees, fences, rocks and telephone poles can cause injuries. Hay bales may not always protect your child from hazards.
• Make sure the run at the bottom of the hill is long enough for the sled to safely stop on its own.
• Avoid hills with very steep inclines.
• Never sled near traffic, roads, parking lots, rivers or bodies of water.
• Only sled during daylight hours.
• Sleds and toboggans should not be used on the same hills. Toboggans, which may be more difficult to control than sleds, should only be used on toboggan runs.
• Do not sled on icy hills. The hills should be snow-covered.
• Small children should be accompanied by an adult.
• Insist that children wear snow sport helmets while sledding.
• Do not ride headfirst or on the stomach. Ride in a sitting position or feet-first while lying on your back. Support your body with your elbows.
• If an adult rides on a sled with a child, the adult should sit with the child seated snugly in front, between the adult's legs.
• Avoid sledding over snow bumps.
• Stay alert, keep your eyes open and use common sense.
• When going back up the hill, walk to the side of it away from sleds and toboggans.

Teach your children to following these tips for safe skating:

• Skate in the same direction as the crowd.
• Avoid darting across the ice.
• Throw away chewing gum or candy before skating.
• Never skate alone.
• Never go out on the ice of a pond or stream without your approval.

Reprinted with the permission of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.