Safety and Injury Prevention

Falls - Identifying High-Risk Situations

A Warning For Parents

Beware of placing infants in seats on elevated surfaces. Although falling from beds causes head injuries to infants almost half of the time, many parents may not realize how dangerous it is to place their infant in a bouncy seat or car seat on top of other elevated surfaces such as tables. According to researchers, the seats jiggle and bounce as the infant moves, causing the bouncy chair or car seat to gradually move toward the edge of the counter or table. When infants fall in these types of seats, the seats tend to tip forward, causing the infant to fall head first - -usually on the hard floor in the kitchen. Parents should heed the warnings on the bouncy seats or car seats.

Strollers and Falls

Each year, nearly 13,000 children end up in emergency room across the US because they fell out of their strollers. About 200 children are admitted to the hospital for their injuries each year. Children who are injured from falling out of their stroller tend to be around 1 year of age, with the majority sustaining injuries to the head and face. Falling out of the stroller accounted for 75 percent of the injuries, while the stroller tipping over caused about 10 percent of the injuries. The solution is simple: strapping the children while in their stroller will prevent them from falling out.

Certain age groups among children are more prone to certain types of falls. For example, infants are more likely to fall from furniture, while toddlers are more likely to fall from windows. Older children sustain more fall-related injuries from playground equipment.

  • furniture
    Babies who are left unsupervised on top of beds, changing tables, and even couches, can roll off unexpectedly.
  • windows
    Young children are naturally curious and will explore an open window. Windows that are open just five inches pose a danger to children under the age of 10. Falls from windows tend to be the most severe and/or fatal. In addition, even a closed window can be dangerous if the child can get near it - falling through glass can cause serious and often fatal injuries.
  • stairs
    Infants and toddlers do not realize the danger of falling down stairs. In addition, older children who are running up and down stairs can trip and injure themselves. Clutter on stairs poses an increased risk of falling.
  • floor surfaces
    Area rugs that are not secure, especially on bare floors, can cause a child to fall. Mats that are not slip-resistant and tubs without slip-resistant stickers can increase the risk of falling.
  • playgrounds
    Although playgrounds can provide children with exercise and an enjoyment of the outdoors, they also pose safety hazards. Faulty playground equipment, not using proper equipment for different sporting activities, and careless behavior leads to an estimated 15 child fatalities ages 14 and under each year.

A warning about baby walkers:

Baby walker-related injuries kill two children a year. In 2000 alone, more than 8,300 children were treated for baby-walker related injuries. Consider these statistics:

  • Baby walkers cause more injuries than any other nursery product.
  • Most children that sustain injuries from baby walkers are between the ages of 5 and 15 months.
  • Most baby walker-related injuries are caused by falls down stairs (76 percent) or tipping over (12 percent).

In addition to increasing the risk of falls down stairs, baby walkers give small children access to hot substances on tables and stoves, as well as poisonous substances. Based on these alarming statistics, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association for Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) have called for a ban of baby walkers.

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