4 Your Kids: Keeping Your Kids Safe Over The Summer

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The summer vacation countdown is on. While the focus will be on fun in the sun, safety should be top of mind, too!

In '4 Your Kids', it's all about how to protect your children when they're enjoying the great outdoors.

"The most important thing in the summer is there's a lot of activity, all the kids are very active, so while the volume in the ER decreases, the acuity secondary to trauma increases," said Dr. Francis Amador of the Salah Foundation Children's Hospital at Broward Health.

Dr. Amador says whether kids are skateboarding, bike riding or playing contact sports, head protection and hydration are key.

"Helmet is the number one thing for prevention of brain injury," he said. "Since the creation of helmets traumatic brain injury has decreased by 80%. So that's a very big item. Sports related injuries you need equipment. But at the same time all that equipment and the sun will cause dehydration or heat exhaustion so they have to keep hydrating themselves with a electrolyte rich solution like Gatorade because water alone doesn't have sodium or potassium and that's very important."

If you're going out to the playground, look for playgrounds with shade canopies that offer protection from the sun. But don't let that fool you. Your kids still need sunscreen, and you should reapply it often.

Dr. Amador also stresses basic mosquito control around your home, especially in kid play areas, to prevent those pesky bug bites.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that insect repellents containing DEET are safe for children as young as 2 months old, so be sure to keep that handy at the playground.

He says being familiar with routine burn care is also a plus as summer barbecue season heats up.

Experts say you should run burns under cool, not cold water, and cover with a non-adhesive bandage.

Skip the ointments at first, and seek medical help if the burn is severe.