Safe Sledding Tips: How To Enjoy It While We've Got It

Sledding is a fun wintertime activity for families, however those exhilarating slides down neighborhood hills send more than 20,000 children to emergency rooms each year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Good Samaritan Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), are reminding parents, caregivers and snow goers of all ages that sledding injuries are preventable, if the right steps are taken.

“When sledding, children should wear a helmet, go down the hill feet first, not face first, dress warm, avoid hills with trees and avoid sledding at night,” said Dr. Dennis Mao, Assistant Director of the Emergency Department at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Originally offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Good Samaritan Hospital shares the following tips for safe sledding:

• Keep sledders away from motor vehicles.

• Children should be supervised while sledding.

• Keep young children separated from older children.

• Sledding feet first or sitting up, instead of lying down head first, may prevent head injuries.

• Consider having your child wear a helmet while sledding.

• Sleds should be structurally sound and free of sharp edges and splinters, and the steering mechanism should be well lubricated.

• Sled slopes should be free of obstructions like trees or fences, be covered in snow and notice, not be too steep (slope of less than 30º), and end with a flat runoff.

(The Rockland County hospital adds that it's safest to use steerable sleds, not snow disks or inner tubes, and to avoid sledding in crowded areas.)

From Bon Secours Charity Health System