Falls
Injuries from falling down are common for all age groups, but one year olds have the highest rate of falls requiring medical attention. In 1986, 300 children and adolescents died from falling. Each year, one out of every ten children (1-3 years old) will require medical evaluation due to falling.
One eighth of all falls in the younger age group are due to accidents involving stairs, while the rest result from falling off one surface onto another.
In order to reduce injuries due to falls, families should:
- NOT use baby walkers
- NOT leave an infant unsupervised on a counter, table, bed (even if they have "never rolled over before" because that may turn out to be their first time rolling and falling)
- Install gates to prevent access to staircases once your child is 6 months old
- Choose safe playground equipment and install it where the ground is soft (over sand or grass -- NOT over concrete or clay)
- Require children to wear helmets and protective clothes when using bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc...
- Use side rails on bunk beds
- NEVER allow a child to ride in the back of a pickup truck
Reference: Oski, F. Principles and Practices of Pediatrics. 2nd edition, 1994.
