Holiday

The rain has started, it is dark at 5 p.m., and the leaves are falling. A young pediatrician’s thoughts turn, naturally, to … preventing injuries around the holidays. I think every pediatrician can tell you horror stories about bad things that happened to great families during the chaos of the holiday season. It is my job to help make sure that your family is as safe as possible. The Tom Sargent Children’s Safety Center at … Read More

It seems like Mother Nature hit the autumn switch last week. We went abruptly from summer to fall in a very short time. Grown-up minds turn to raking leaves, driving to work in the dark, and the inevitable, interminable rain that is coming. Talk to any kid, however, and all they can think of is pumpkins and costumes and candy … oh my. Halloween can be a blast, but it is also a risky endeavor. … Read More

Everyone loves home fireworks. They are sold everywhere, so they must be safe, right? Not so fast. This Fourth of July, hospitals can expect about 6,000* Emergency Room visits due to serious injuries from home fireworks — most will be burns and many will be really serious. About a quarter will be eye injuries, everything from scratches to burns to what we call “enucleation,” or the loss of an eye, most often from bottle rockets. … Read More