Time is passing so quickly! It’s crazy to think that there are only a couple months left before the year is over. Plus, with days getting shorter and the weather cooling down, it’s a sure sign that winter will be here before we know it. That also means winter activities! Finally, families can go out to play in the snow and make some unforgettable memories.
Winter Activities for Families — Sledding Scare
The area we live in doesn’t get any snowfall. So, we sometimes visit Lake Tahoe (about a 4-hour drive) for winter activities. It’s a fantastic hub for skiing, snowboarding, riding on snowmobiles, and sledding. But, despite those activities being super fun, they can also be pretty dangerous.
One time Frans, Munchkin, and I took a couple of sleds to a nearby sledding hill. There were several lanes and it wasn’t too busy at all. It was a good thing I went down first to check it out, though. As I went down on the plastic sled, I hit a dip in the snow and actually went airborne and totally flew off the sled! Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt. But, that could have ended really, really badly. Afterwards, Frans and I took turns going down with Munchkin but we were much more careful. We didn’t have any more incidents but that sure was scary!
Winter Activities for Families — Safety & Injury Prevention
For families planning any winter activities, it would be wise to review key safety and injury prevention tips. Christine Boyd, MD at Stanford Children’s Health put together some fantastic recommendations for parents. These expert tips include general guidelines as well as specifics for winter sports such as skiing and sledding.
One suggestion was to consider getting professional skiing or snowboarding lessons. We did this the first time we took Munchkin to ski and it was fantastic. She spend the whole morning with an instructor and had a blast. Since Frans had only skied on simulated ramps and the last time I went was when I was little, we took lessons too. It helped us tremendously to be more comfortable moving on and around the snow.
I sure wish we knew about these sledding tips sooner. We were fortunate no one got hurt during our clueless sledding attempts, but we should have at least had a helmet with us. According to one study, sledding causes “more than 52,000 injuries a year.” Most of these involve kids ages 14 and under. Yikes!
There are also some points related to frostbite. It’s a serious issue and the best way to deal with it is by means of prevention or catching the symptoms early. You also want to be careful about sunburn. Sometimes we forget just how strong those UV rays are when reflected off snow. To take a full look at the article and all the suggestions, see the post here.
Have you already started making travel plans for any family winter activities?
To learn more and to find a location nearest you, visit the links below.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Stanford Children’s Health. The opinions and text are all mine.
