Accidental injury is the number one cause of death for American children, taking more lives than disease, violence and suicide. By taking some simple steps, 90 percent of accidental injuries can be avoided.
Playing It Safe On the Playground
Playground injuries are the leading cause of injury to children in childcare and to children ages 5 to 14 in schools. The majority of playground equipment-related deaths are caused by strangulation, and nonfatal injuries are most often caused by falls. Almost 40 percent of playground injuries are linked to lack of supervision.
To keep your child safe while allowing him/her to play, take the following precautions:
- Supervise your child. Watch your child carefully. Put a stop to situations that may cause danger or injury. Be available in case an injury happens.
- Help your child choose age-appropriate equipment. Some playground equipment may be too big and therefore dangerous to very young children.
- Inspect the play area for anything that may be dangerous. Teach your child to look for things that can cause harm, such as broken glass or sharp metal edges on equipment. Make sure a fence surrounds the play area and that metal equipment is in the shade or has a protective surface to keep it from getting too hot.
- Make sure there is cushioning beneath equipment. A fall from equipment placed over grass, packed dirt, rocks, asphalt or blacktop can be life-threatening. To be safe, equipment should be over at least 12 inches of hardwood fiber/mulch, pea gravel, sand, rubber tiles or mats.
Biking Safety
Bicycle helmets for your children are a necessity, not an accessory. Make sure that your children wear a bicycle helmet every time and everywhere they ride.
- Your child's bike helmet should fit comfortably and snugly, but not too tightly. It should sit on top of his/her head in a level position, and it should not rock forward and back or from side to side.
- The helmet straps must always be buckled.
- Teach your children the rules of the road for bicycles.
- Teach them to obey all traffic laws.
- Ride on the right side of the road, WITH traffic, not against.
- Use appropriate hand signals, respect traffic signals, stop at all intersections (marked and unmarked), and stop and look both ways before entering a street.
- Cycling should be restricted to sidewalks and paths until a child is age 10 and is able to show how well she or he rides and observes the basic rules of the road.
In Case of Emergency
Make a contact sheet and keep emergency numbers and all of your child's important medical information easily at hand. Carry one copy with you, keep one copy at home near a phone and give copies to all of your child's caregivers.
Teach Your Child to Use 911
Because you may not always be there when an injury happens, it is important to teach your child how to use 911. Children age 4 and older can usually understand this idea, as long as you provide the message in a simple way:
- Describe examples of emergencies, such as "fire," "someone bleeding a lot" or "someone not moving."
- Tell your child to always try to find a parent or adult when an emergency happens. If there are no adults around, the child should call 911.Make sure your child knows his/her address. This will help 911 operators find his/her location faster.
For more information and resources, visit the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
Sources:
Community Health Charities
http://www.chcct.org/HealthDays/CHC-Tips.htm
Aetna Intelihealth
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/29010/29666.html
http://womenshealth.aetna.com/WH/ihtWH/r.WSIHW000/st.48408/t.48482.html
Safe Kids USA. Facts About Injuries to Children at Home.
http://www.usa.safekids.org/content_documents/Home_facts.pdf
Aetna Intelihealth. Childproofing Your Home.
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/WSIHW000/29010/29145.html?hide=t&k=basePrint
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