Our Teddy Bear Clinic is a free injury prevention program for children, sponsored by the Trauma Center at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. We cover safety topics on car and helmet safety in a fun and interactive way before letting the children dress up as doctors and nurses to provide care to their injured stuffed animals.
Our mission is to help educate children on injury prevention and learn how they can explore and play safely. Accidents happen, but most injuries are preventable.
Car Safety
Buckle Up. Children will learn the importance of wearing a seatbelt while they are in the car without exception no matter the length of the trip.
Did you know? NY State law says all children must use a proper child passenger restraint (car or booster seat) until their 8th birthday. Seat belts are not designed to fit children properly. Booster seats help raise kids up until the seat belt fits safely, usually between 8-12 years old and around 4’9” tall. 73% of car seats are not used or installed correctly, so before you hit the road, check your car seat. We have a list of free car seat and booster seat fitting locations on our Stony Brook Trauma Website to get your questions answered by a specialist. Parents it’s important that you lead by example, please make sure everyone buckles up, front and back seats, every car ride, to set a good example. This important safety rule will help keep your child safe as they grow into young adults. For more, visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov and www.nydmv.state.ny.us.
In the BACK is where it’s at! The safest place for all children is the back seat until their 13th birthday. Air bags were designed to protect adults and can be dangerous for kids.
Helmets reduce the risk of serious head injury by 88%, but less than half of kids under 14 usually wear their helmet. Suffolk County law requires helmets for bicycle, scooter and skate riders under age 18. Helmets are also important when snowboarding, skiing, and playing many sports. Children whose parents wear helmets are more likely to protect their own brain with a helmet. We'll show children the proper way to wear a helmet and stress the importance of always wearing one. For more, visit www.safekids.org.
Despite all our efforts, sometimes kids get hurt. And when this happens, the expert team at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital is here to take care of them at our specialized Children’s Hospital Emergency Department that is open 24/7. We know hospitals and doctor’s offices can sometimes be a scary place for kids. The Teddy Bear Clinic can help ease their fears.
If you’d like to host a Teddy Bear Clinic at your school, please email Jamie.Ryan@StonyBrookMedicine.edu
