6 tips for safe sporting

Recently, my son's two favorite activities have been going to the skate park and going to the BMX track. They're both favorite activities in my book as well. They're free, my son is being active and meeting friends, and I get time to walk around the parks or just relax and read a book.

I'm constantly surprised at how few children wear helmets or other safety gear. My son hates his wrist guards, but he doesn't complain otherwise. And, thankfully, none of the non-helmet wearing crowd has poked fun at my son. My son knows that he only has one choice in the matter -- wear the safety gear or don't skateboard/bike. It's just not a risk worth taking.

According to the CDC, about 300,000 sports-related concussions occur each year in the US. There are some basic pieces of safety gear kids should wear when playing sports.

• Mouth guards protect the teeth and mouth area and should be worn for all contact and collision sports.
• Face guards protect the face and eyes from contact and collision sports.
• Shin guards are important for soccer players.
• Helmets should be worn when biking, skateboarding, roller blading, or playing sports such as football or baseball.
• Knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards are important for activities where falls are likely (such as skateboarding).
• Athletic cups protect male genitalia and should be worn for sports such as baseball.