Effective January 20, 2026, masks are encouraged for all staff, patients and visitors at all Luminis Health locations and will remain encouraged through the end of the influenza season. Thank you for your patience as we continue to care for our community.
Log in with MyChart
Access personalized site features & view your health records.
Learn more about MyChartDon’t have a MyChart account?
Your Account
View your Dashboard
Messages
Billing Summary
Find Care
Schedule Appointment
My Care Team
My Record
Appointments
Medications
Insurance Summary
Log in with MyChart
Access personalized site features & view your health records.
Learn more about MyChartDon’t have a MyChart account?
When winter brings us snow, there’s one place you’ll likely find the neighborhood children—the local sledding hill. Where you don’t want to find them, however, is at the doctor’s office or hospital due to a sledding injury. Yet according to the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics each year more than 20,000 kids end up in emergency rooms with sledding injuries. Keep your children safe on the local sledding slopes by following these tips:
Your children may protest, but they should always wear a helmet. Wearing layered clothing, such as gloves, hats and boots can help protect against cuts, bruises and frostbite. If they get wet, encourage them to come in for dry clothing.
The best sleds are those with runners and a steering mechanism. Inflatable tubes, snow discs, and random objects like plastic sheets or cafeteria trays are not good choices because children can’t properly steer them.
Avoid sledding in areas that end near a creek, pond or road. Wide, clear spaces with a gradual incline work best. Be careful to avoid obstacles such as rocks, trees, poles and benches.
While daredevils love to go head first down the hill, make sure your children are in a seated position with their feet first to avoid a head injury.
Make sure children get off the sled and out of the way as soon as they get to the bottom of the hill. As they return back up the hill, they should walk on the outer edges rather than directly through the sledding path. Teach your children how to steer to avoid hitting anything that gets in their path. Also, show your children how to safely roll off the sled if they lose control.
It’s important that your children can see where they’re going. They should avoid sledding during a heavy snowstorm or at night in poorly lit areas. Also, it’s best to not sled into a snowbank unless they built it. Snowbanks can mask a tree stump, fence or some other hidden danger that can cause injury.
Originally published Jan. 21, 2016. Last updated Jan. 23, 2026.
