Doctor On Call: Winter Weather Safety Tips For Children

The doctor is in and this time it is pediatrician Dr. Courtney Sauls from Ascension Saint John Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

We're talking about winter weather safety tips for kids.

Reagan: There's no doubt there's more weather coming this winter. What are some of the things you know, parents need to keep an eye on?

Dr. Sauls: So, there are a couple of rules for keeping kiddos warm snow, several layers of clothing are going to be helpful. You can peel off the ones on top if you go inside, and it's a little bit toasty. And then also keeping kids with one more layer than you would as an adult is a good rule of thumb to follow.

And then one very important thing is we're going to talk about a little bit about car seats. So I got some props for some of my favorite things. So obviously in the cold, a big, nice thick poofy jacket can be really helpful for keeping your kids nice and snuggly. But that can make car seat travel a bit unsafe.

It doesn't give those straps a good tight enough hold. And so for kids, I suggest having a smaller layer of a thinner jacket that's still nice and cozy. But allow those straps to go on tightly. And then they can put their big comfy jacket on their laps in the car. And at my house. We keep blankets in our car for the wintertime that my kids can throw on their laps. And that will keep them warm when traveling in the car also.

Reagan: We've also got some gloves here.

Dr. Sauls: Yeah, a couple of other things. This is my little tip for gloves. So with little our kiddos, it can be kind of a weird thing to put gloves on their fingers, each finger like regular gloves, as we would as an adult. And so I like these little mitten gloves that you can get. They also have little clippy so you can keep the pair together as our kids always lose everything. And then they just can put their thumb in and then the rest of their hands. And that's a great solution for small kids where they might not want to put their fingers in. Also, really good comfy socks and hats to keep their heads nice and warm. Those are great options for keeping kids safe in the winter.

Reagan: It's important for us, you know, to not spend too much time in those dangerously cold temperatures. But how much more crucial is it for kids? I mean, I imagine they can get hypothermia, and frostbite a lot quicker than than us.

Dr. Sauls: Exactly right. Kids lose heat a lot easier than we do as an adult. So it's very important to keep them wrapped up. But I have a couple of things for parents to look out for that might be a warning sign when you should have your kids seen again. So if they're excessively shivering, they cannot warm up because they're shivering so much. Then also they start to slur their speech or act really clumsy and off balance. And you've been out in the cold a long time.

Those can be warning signs that they're just too cold. And you should see the emergency department more so than your regular pediatrician.

Regan: Not something to mess with.

Dr. Sauls: Exactly. Yeah, so this is my good car blanket. This is a nice kind of easy one to pack for travel. Nice and cozy can have on the laps with them in the car. I just kind of throw those under the seat or have a pack of like extra things just in case there's bad weather. You kind of slide off the road. You got some snacks and some water bottles traveled with you too. And ways to keep your kiddos comfy in the car when it's really cold.

Regan: What about shoes?

Dr. Sauls: So snow boots, it's you need them very rarely in Oklahoma, but I think we all needed them last week and so some good fitting snow boots and usually two layers of socks if you're wearing your shoes and you're going to go out and play in the snow as a child. Keep those toes nice and warm because those toes and those fingers are the ones that are gonna get cold as the fastest.

Reagan: Will you put the snow close to away next week with the 60-degree weather Stephen mentioned but there's no doubt in Oklahoma. We're going to have some more winter weather coming up in the next couple of months. Dr. Saul thank you so much for being here.