Dash Through the Snow

Sure, you hurtled yourself down snowy hills on lunchroom cafeteria trays, but your kids? Over your dead body! Smart move According to a 2010 study in Pediatrics, more than 20,000 youngsters under the age of 19 wind up in the ER every year with sledding related injuries, most often to the head. (Children ages 10 to 14 years sustained the most damage; 60 percent of ER cases were boys.) But todays sledding wannabes dont have to be left out in the cold. Take them to a well used sledding hill and make sure the area is open and free of cars, trees, posts, and rocks. Pick an off peak time when child missiles arent zooming everywhere, and go only when its light outside. To avoid injury, allow only one child per sled, and avoid snow tubes, which can make it harder for others to see your speed demon (and are harder to stop or hop off without injury).