Winter Storm Safety: 10 Tips for Keeping Kids Safe When the Extreme Cold Hits

Here are 10 Extreme Cold Safety Tips to Protect Children:

Extreme weather conditions and events, like record-low temperatures, can threaten children’s lives and disrupt infrastructure critical to children’s well-being. Power-outages due to cold weather can create even more challenges for staying safe and warm.

Here, our emergency response experts share winter safety tips to help children stay safe, whether you're staying indoors or weighing the risks of outdoor winter activities.

1. Layer up! Bitter cold and snow can cause frostbite. Dress your child in several layers, and make sure their head, neck and hands are covered. Dress babies and young children in one more layer than an adult would wear.
    
2. Play it safe. Even when roads are closed to traffic, it’s not safe to play or sled in the street. Visibility may be limited due to snowbanks and ice on the roads makes braking difficult.
    
3. Beware of clothing hazards. Scarves and hood strings can strangle smaller children so use other clothing to keep them warm.
    
4. Check in on warmth. Before kids head outside, tell them to come inside if they get wet or if they’re cold. Then keep watching them and checking in. They may want to continue playing outside even if they are wet or cold.
    
5. Use sunscreen. Children and adults can still get sunburned in the winter. Sun can reflect off the snow, so apply sunscreen to exposed areas.
    
6. Use caution around fires. Wood-burning stoves, fireplaces and outdoor fire-pits are cozy but can present danger – especially to small children. Use caution and put up protective gates when possible. If you’ve lost power or heat and are alternative heating methods like kerosene or electric heaters, be sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working.
    
7. Get trained and equipped. Children should wear helmets when snowboarding, skiing, sledding or playing ice hockey. And to avoid injuries, teach children how to do the activity safely.
    
8. Prevent nosebleeds. If your child suffers from minor winter nosebleeds, use a cold-air humidifier in their room. Saline nose drops can help keep their nose moist.
    
9. Keep them hydrated. In drier winter air kids lose more water through their breath. Offer plenty of water, and try giving them warm drinks and soup for extra appeal.
    
10. Watch for danger signs. Signs of frostbite are pale, grey or blistered skin on the fingers, ears, nose, and toes. If you think your child has frostbite bring the child indoors and put the affected area in warm (not hot) water. Signs of hypothermia are shivering, slurred speech, and unusual clumsiness. If you think your child has hypothermia call 9-1-1 immediately.