Health Alert: Keeping Kids Warm

With the arctic blast sweeping across the U.S. this week ABC 57 has tips to show you how to keep your kids safe and warm.  

Wind chills in Michiana will drop to the negatives this week. Making it a good week to stay indoors.

But if your kids still want go out and play, doctor Linda Mansfield, the Director of Sports Medicine for Beacon Medical Group, has tips on how to keep them safe when they head out into the elements.

Her first tip: proper attire.

Mansfield says, "especially on a day like today when wind chill is very low and it's very cold out. Any exposed skin is highly susceptible to frostbite so dressing for the kids warm is the first step."

Mansfield also mentioned that this cold weather can cause the body to lose heat faster than we can produce it, leading to a drop in body temperature called hypothermia. If left untreated hypothermia can be life threatening.

Another way to keep your kids safe is by keeping an eye on them when they're outside.

Mansfield says, "making sure that there are not any obstacles in the way when they go sledding, making sure they're not going to be sliding in and out on the street or in a parking lots, or if they're going sledding where they could hit trees or other things that would cause injuries."

And just remember that for kids, it's a winter wonderland out there, so they dont always think about the dangers of the elements.