Health Plan of San Joaquin | Focus Your Health | Summer 2021

Check your back seat! Every year, chil- dren die of heatstroke in cars when left unattended. Even on a mild day, temper- atures inside a car can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes. Leav- ing a window slightly open does not help. This is dangerous for children, whose bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s. Since 1998, more than half of deaths related to heatstroke in cars have occurred when a distracted caregiver forgot the child was in the car. Of those, 17% took place when the child was accidentally left, and 30% occurred when a child was playing in a car alone and became trapped. Together, we can cut down the number of deaths and near-misses by remembering to ACT . Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by: ● Never leaving your child alone in the car, even for a minute ● Locking unattended vehicle doors and trunks Create reminders and habits that give you and your child’s caregiver a safety net: ● When you drop off your child, make a habit of calling or texting all other caregivers, so all of you know where your child is at all times. ● Place a purse, briefcase, gymbag, cellphone or an item that is needed at your next stop in a back seat. ● Set the alarm on your cellphone or computer calendar as a reminder to drop your child off at childcare. Take action if you see an unattended child in a vehicle: ● Dial 911 immediately and follow the instructions that emergency personnel provide—they are trained to determine if a child is in danger. For more information on preventing child heatstroke deaths, please visit safekids.org/heatstroke . Screen time for kids: What every parent should know One of the first things babies reach for is a toy. But for many kids, tablets and cellphones aren’t far behind. How young is too young for kids to use screens? And what limits should parents set? Here’s an age-by-age guide: Under 18 months Video chats with family and friends are fine. But that’s all. Babies and young children learn best with active exploration. 18 to 24 months Very limited screen time is OK, but there’s no rush. If you do allow it, always watch or play with your child. Talk and teach while they watch. 2 to 5 years Limit screen time to a max of one hour a day. And keep watching together. 6 and up Limit screen time in a way that makes sense for your family. Be sure it doesn’t crowd out things your child needs to thrive, like sleep, family time and exercise. 2 Focus Your Health