It's nearly spring sports season, so thought I'd pass on these tips from Safe Kids Wake County, which works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 and under.

Each year about 3.5 million kids are injured while playing sports. And 62 percent of them occur during practices, not games, the group says.

Safe Kids Wake County recommends these precautions for all children playing or practicing any individual or team sport:

Before signing up for a sport, get a general physical exam.

Always wear appropriate protective gear for the activity — for practice as well as games — and make sure it’s the right size and properly adjusted.

Always do your warm-ups and cool-downs.  If it’s important before and after a game, it’s important before and after practice too.

Make sure responsible adults know and enforce the safety rules of the sport, are present to provide supervision, and are trained in first aid and CPR.

Never “play through” an injury. Get immediate help from a coach or trainer and be sure to mention everything that hurts or aches.  All coaches should have a plan for dealing with emergencies.

If you’re playing outside, wear SPF 15 or higher sunscreen.

Follow the rules. In most sports, the rules are based not only on sportsmanship, but safety.

And stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water or electrolyte sports drinks before and during the activity, and rest frequently during hot weather. A child can lose up to a quart of sweat during two hours of exercise, and kids get overheated more quickly than adults and cannot cool down as easily.

For more information about Safe Kids Wake County, click here. Safe Kids Wake County is part of Safe Kids Worldwide and is lead locally by WakeMed.

Check out our other daily themes at TriangleMom2Mom:

MONDAY: Meet!
TUESDAY: Ask!
WEDNESDAY: Eat!
THURSDAY: Play!
FRIDAY: Out!
WEEKEND: Relax!