Focus On

Table of content

• Are you turning your child to face forward too soon?
• Cars and Unsupervised Kids Can Be A Dangerous Mix
• Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car
• Is Your Playground Surfacing Safe?
• Does Your Child Know the Sound of a Smoke Alarm?
• Keep Kids Safer Around Medicine
• Is Your Child Ready To Be Home Alone?
• When is Tap Water Hot Enough to Burn?
• Don't Take a Vacation From Safety
• Booster Seats 101
• Home Safety 101
• Tipping Furniture: A Hidden Hazard in Your Home
• Smoke Alarms Save Lives
• Bike Helmets: A Necessity, Not an Accessory
• Carbon Monoxide: Preventing the Silent Killer
• The How & Why of Keeping Your Kids Safe from Injury

Are you turning your child to face forward too soon?

Small children have large heads and comparatively weak necks. So if a child is riding in a forward-facing car seat when there’s a head-on collision (the most common type of crash), the child can jerk forward suddenly and violently, resulting in head, neck or spinal injuries.

For the best possible protection, keep your infant in a rear-facing child safety seat in a back seat for as long as possible—up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. The "12-months-and-20-pounds" rule that many parents cite when turning their child forward in the car is actually the minimum size and age requirement.

Never turn your child forward-facing before age 1 and at least 20 pounds, although keeping your kids rear-facing until about age 2 is safer if the seat allows.

Q&A of the Week

Q: What are some of the common mistakes parents make installing a seat?

A: Once you have found a car seat that is right for your child’s height and weight and fits in your vehicle well, there are a few other tips to make sure your baby is buckled up the right way.

• Use the car’s safety belt or LATCH system to lock the car seat into the car. Your car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back. Grab the car seat at the safety belt path or LATCH path to test it.

• Put harnesses through the slots so they are even with or below the infant’s shoulders. Be sure the harness is tight, so you can’t pinch extra webbing at the shoulder.

• Adjust the chest clip at armpit level.

And remember, you can get help with your child's car seat by contacting a Safe Kids coalition near you!

Cars and Unsupervised Kids Can Be A Dangerous Mix | Top

Driveways and parking lots might seem like safer places for children to play but danger can come from any direction. Children can be injured or killed in "backover" or "frontover"  tragedies when drivers do not see children near their vehicles.

Parents and other caregivers  must make sure that children do not share the same space as vehicles. And for drivers, a five-second walk around the car to “Spot the Tot” before you get in the car could save a child's life.

Q&A of the Week

Q: How do I teach my children to stay away from vehicles while they play?

A: Remember, it’s always the adult’s job to make sure kids are supervised and have safe places to play! But you can start when they’re young and talk to your children about how dangerous playing near vehicles can be. Let them know that it’s often difficult for the driver to see small children and toys and they should never try to get to a toy or pet that is behind or under a vehicle.

Spot the Tot is a Service Mark of Primary Children’s Medical Center Foundation.

Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car | Top

In 2008, at least 43 children across the United States died from heat stroke caused by being left or trapped in a vehicle.

Heat is much more dangerous to children than to adults. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature may increase three to five times faster than that of an adult’s, which could cause permanent injury or even death within minutes.

It is never OK to leave a child alone in a car—even for one minute!

Q&As of the Week

Q: How hot can a car really get?

A:  Even with relatively cool temperatures outside—70 degrees—the inside of a car can reach a dangerous temperature in just minutes on a sunny day.

The temperature inside of a vehicle can rise 19 degrees above the outside temperature in just 10 minutes. After an hour, the temperature inside a vehicle can be 45 degrees or more than the outside temperature – even if the window is left open a crack.

Q: At what age can I leave my child alone in a car?

A: There isn’t a simple answer to this question, because a child’s age is only the starting point. You should also look at a child’s maturity, development and the ability to know when and how to get help. 

Parents can consider leaving a child alone for short amounts of time around age 10 but each child is unique, so you should always make an individual assessment.

Use the questions below to help you decide if your older child has the decision-making abilities and physical skills to be left alone for a short amount of time.  Remember, parents tend to overestimate their child’s abilities. If any of these questions make you think twice, we recommend that you don’t leave your child alone in a car.

• Can your child be alone in the car without releasing the emergency brake or playing with the seat belts or the controls in the car (even if the motor is off and you have taken the keys)?

• Would your child recognize dangerous symptoms of heat stroke such as sweating, difficulty breathing, etc?  Would he/she know to get help if you were not there?

• Would your child know about childproof locks in a back seat and be able to climb into the front seat to exit the vehicle in an emergency?

• Does your child know how to reach you if there is an emergency?

Is Your Playground Surfacing Safe? | Top

Kids can be impulsive, curious and may have no fear of heights when it comes to playgrounds, so it’s your job to make sure playground equipment meets safety standards.

Falls are the number one cause of injury in playgrounds. That’s why the surfacing under and around playground equipment is one of the most important factors in reducing the likelihood of life-threatening injuries. A fall onto a shock absorbing surface is less likely to cause a serious injury than a fall onto a hard surface.

Recommended surface materials include sand, pea gravel, wood chips, mulch and shredded rubber.

Avoid playgrounds with asphalt, concrete, grass, dirt and soil surfaces under the equipment.

Unsafe surfacing

Safe surfacing

Q&A of the Week

Q: What else should I look for to make sure the playground surfacing is safe?

A: The surfacing material should be 12 inches deep and extend at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment. Depending on the height of the equipment, surfacing may need to extend farther than 6 feet.

For swings, make sure that the surfacing extends, in the back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar, so if the top of the swing set is 10 feet high, the surfacing should extend 20 feet. This won’t prevent falls, but it can make an injury less serious.

Tip of the Week

Even on safe playgrounds, children must be supervised at all times and play on age-appropriate equipment.

Consider This

If there are any hazards in a public or backyard playground, report or fix them immediately and don’t allow children to use the equipment until it's safe. Report any safety hazards to the organization responsible for the site (e.g., school, park authority, city council).

Does Your Child Know the Sound of a Smoke Alarm? | Top

Children younger than age 7 are more vulnerable to smoke and flames in a fire, less likely to wake up if a smoke alarm sounds while they’re sleeping and have a hard time escaping a burning home by themselves.

When children see smoke or fire, they may try to hide in a closet or under a bed. So, as soon as your children are old enough to understand, make sure they know the sound of the smoke alarm and what to do when they hear it.

Remember to make and practice a fire escape plan with your entire family. Find at least two ways out of every room and have a plan to help young children escape your home.

Q&A of the Week

Q: My children sleep very deeply. Will they wake up to the smoke alarm?

A: Sometimes children will sleep through a smoke alarm. Test your alarms at night to see if your child will wake up and respond to the alarm. If you child doesn’t wake up to the alarm, try a talking alarm that says “Fire! Fire!”

Some smoke alarms also use a recordable voice message to wake children up, instead of a traditional alarm. These devices let a parent record a personal message like, “Suzie, wake up and get out of the house right now!”

Tip of the Week

Preschool-aged children (3 years and older) can begin to learn what to do in case of a fire. Teach your little ones that the sound of a smoke alarm means go outside immediately, meet at a designated place and don’t hide from firefighters.

Keep Kids Safer Around Medicine | Top

Each year, more than 1.2 million children ages 5 and under are unintentionally poisoned and 44 percent of these poisonings are from prescription drugs and other medications. 

What young kids see and reach, they usually put in their mouths and as their mobility and capabilities increase, they can reach medicines and household products wherever they’re stored.

It’s important for adults who are around children to keep medications away from little hands—even if you’re not a parent. Twenty percent of the prescription drugs accidentally taken by children 4 and under belong to someone who doesn’t live with the child.

Is it medicine or is it candy?

Q&As of the Week

Q: What are some of the most common poisonous items for children?

A: While medicines are one of the causes of poisoning in children, children are also poisoned by products such as cosmet­ics, cleaning substances, plants, toys, vitamins, pesticides, lead, and carbon monoxide.

For more info, visit www.usa.safekids.org/poison

Q: What can I do if my child gets poisoned?

A: If you suspect your child has been poisoned, call the nationwide poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If your child has collapsed or is not breathing, call 911.

Poison control centers offer fast and free confidential help for poison emergencies in English and Spanish. Most poisonings are resolved over the phone. The number works from anywhere in the United States, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Is Your Child Ready To Be Home Alone? | Top

Developmentally, children are generally ready to be home alone around the ages of 12 or 13. However, children develop at different rates, so use your own discretion, within the boundaries of the law, to determine your child’s maturity level and capabilities.

For example, if you have an impulsive 13-year-old who is a big risk taker, you might be hesitant to leave him or her alone. On the other hand, a thoughtful 11-year-old who has a good track-record of following the household rules might be ready.

Q&A of the Week

Q: Are there any laws or guidelines that say when it’s safe to leave my child home alone?

A: Most states don’t have regulations or laws about when a child is considered old enough to stay home alone or to babysit another child. Some states have guidelines or recommendations, but these often come from child protection services and are administered at the county level.

Contact your child protective services agency for information about your specific local regulations and laws. If you need help in locating your state child protection services agency, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway’s Web site.

When is Tap Water Hot Enough to Burn? | Top

Children are more susceptible to burns and scalds because their skin is thinner and burns more quickly and deeply than an adult’s skin.  In fact, children ages 4 and under are hospitalized in burn centers more for scald burns than any other type of burn.

Hot tap water scalds can be prevented by lowering the setting on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or by installing anti-scald devices in water faucets and shower heads.

Q&A of the Week

Q: What are anti-scald devices?

A: These heat sensitive devices stop the flow of water when the temperature reaches a pre-set temperature to prevent water that is too hot from coming out of the tap.

Some anti-scald devices can be screwed onto the fixture without professional help and some faucets and shower heads also include this feature. You can pick up an anti-scald device at any home improvement store.

Q: What is a safe bathing temperature?

A: The recommended safe and comfortable temperature for bathing a young child is no more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember to set your water heater at 120 degrees.

Don't Take a Vacation From Safety | Top

While summer is a memorable time for most children, be more cautious as your children are spending less time in the classroom and more time going swimming, bike riding, or playing in the backyard.

Your kids love summer! But did you know that summer is the most dangerous time of the year for kids? Children will be rushed to emergency rooms nearly 3 million times this summer during "trauma season" from May to August.

The greatest summertime risks include motor vehicle crashes, drownings, bike crashes, pedestrian incidents, falls and other hazards. Sadly, more than 2,000 of these children will die, unless we share information about protecting kids with our families, neighbors and friends. Don’t let your child be one of them!

Follow these simple tips with your family to protect your children from the top summertime risks:

• Actively supervise your child when engaging in summertime activities, such as swimming and playing on playgrounds and backyards.

• Use the appropriate safety gear for your child’s activities, such as a helmet for wheeled sports and sporting activities, a car seat or booster seat as appropriate, and a life jacket for open water swimming and boating. 

• Role model proper safety behavior. Children are more likely to follow safety rules when they see their parents doing so.

• If you have a pool or a spa, it should be surrounded on all four sides by a fence at least four feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates, and it should be equipped with an anti-entrapment drain cover and safety vacuum release system. An inflatable pool needs to be surrounded by a fence, just like any other pool, and parents need to empty these pools when not in use.

• Make sure your home playground is safe. Keep 12 inches safe surfacing, such as mulch, shredded rubber or fine sand, extending at least six feet in all directions around the equipment. Remove hood and neck drawstrings from your child’s clothing.

• Keep children away from the grill area while preheating and cooking, and while the grill is cooling.

• Remove potential poisons from your yard, including poisonous plants, pesticides and pool chemicals.

• Walk all the way around a parked vehicle to check for children before entering a car and starting the motor. Don’t let children play in driveways, streets, parking lots or unfenced yards adjacent to busy streets.

• Apply sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher to your child’s exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes before going out, and reapply frequently.

• Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. A child who seems tired or achy should rest in the shade or go inside for a while. Get immediate medical help any time a child’s skin is hot to the touch (with or without perspiration), if a child has a seizure, or if they become disoriented in hot weather.

Active supervision, proper protective gear, and other simple prevention steps will help your child avoid danger.

Booster Seats 101 | Top

Booster seats are forward-facing seats without harnesses that help position the adult seat belt correctly over your child’s body. Booster seats protect children who have outgrown their car seat but are too small for a seat belt alone.

Children should ride in seats with internal harnesses until they fully outgrow them by weight or height. For many children they’ll be around 40 pounds and 40 inches. But many newer seats now come with harnesses to higher weights (50, 65 or even 80 pounds) for young, but heavy children. At a minimum, keep children in harnessed car seats until at least 40 pounds. Then, they should move into and stay in a booster seat until the seat belt fits them properly, usually when they’re about 4 foot 9 inches tall and 80 to 100 pounds. Many kids will be between 8 and 12 years of age when they reach these milestones.

There are two booster seat styles:

1. High back belt-positioning booster: This style provides support for a child’s head, and is used until the tops of the child’s ears reach the top of the booster seat. The high back booster seat has sides on it and a place to rest the head for a sleeping child.
   
   
2. Backless belt-positioning booster: The backless booster seat is often attractive to older children who are too small to get a proper seat belt fit without being lifted up on the vehicle seat. It’s also good for carpools. Children in backless booster seats must have a head restraint behind the head to prevent whiplash. These type of booster seats are often less expensive than high back versions.

Proper booster seat fit:

• Sit with hips back against the booster seat, or against the vehicle seat for a backless booster, with knees bending comfortably at the front edge of seat.

• Position the lap belt low and snug on hips. Position the seat belt exactly where the manufacturer directs through the seat belt guide.

• Place the shoulder belt across mid-chest and shoulder. On the high back booster place it through the shoulder belt guides built into the seat.

• Adjust the head restraint properly when using the backless booster seat.

• Secure the booster seat if your child isn't there. When unbuckled, the booster seat is a projectile (an object that can be tossed around the vehicle causing injury to vehicle occupants during a crash or sudden stop.)

Safety Belt Fit Test:

• To determine if your child is ready for an adult seat belt, or if they should remain in their booster seat, please use the Safety Belt Fit Test!

Your child is counting on you to provide the best protection! A few general car safety tips to remember:

• Use the right restraint for your child's age, weight and height.

• Make sure your child always rides safely in your car, and prepare older children to “think safety” if they're ever in a car where no car seat or booster seat is available.

• Make sure they know to wear a seat belt and sit in a back seat.

• And remember, adults must wear a seat belt on every ride too. Your child will do as you do!

Q&As of the Week

Q. Do you recommend booster seats for children just up to age 8?

A: Think about all the 8-year olds you know… some are tall, some are tiny, some are heavy for their age and others haven’t hit a growth spurt yet. A child’s need for a booster seat is based on that child’s weight and height--not age. Many children won’t fit the adult seat belt properly until they weigh 80 to 100 pounds and are about 4’9” tall. Most kids hit this height and weight between 8 and 12 years of age.


Q: What can my kids say to other kids who ask why they still sit on a booster seat?

A: These days, booster seats come in lots of cool patterns and some have cup holders and other neat things kids love. Let your child pick out his or her own booster and arm them with these reasons about why kids are using boosters:

• I like being able to see out the window.
• I can buckle my seat belt faster.
• I can see what other kids are doing outside my car.
• I feel safer and more comfortable on the booster seat.
• The seat belt doesn’t fit me yet and my mom wants me to be as safe as I can be.

Home Safety 101 | Top

An important part of raising kids is careful supervision of their activities in the home, where they spend most of their time. Be aware of your children’s surroundings at all times in order to prevent serious injuries.

Every year, there are more than three million unintentional injuries to children 14 and under that occur in the home and require care in an emergency room. This translates to 8,219 injuries per day. Each day approximately six children die as a result of unintentional injuries that occur in the home.

Home Safety Checklist

There are simple steps you can take to protect your kids at home. Download this checklist to learn more about childproofing basics in your home.

Safety on a Budget

In these tough economic times it may seem even more difficult to think about what’s necessary to keep your family safe. Here’s the good news: Keeping your children safe doesn’t have to be expensive.

There are plenty of free things you can do and low-cost safety devices that can help make your home safer, without breaking your budget. Consider the following tips to help you get started:

• Keep an eye on your children at all times. This is the best way to keep your child safe, and it doesn’t cost a penny!

• Keep poisonous items, such as medicines and cleaners locked away and out of reach of children.

• Don’t let children play on stairs, furniture, balconies, roofs, or in driveways, streets or parking lots.

• Practice an escape plan with your family.

• Cook on back burners and keep handles facing away from front of stove so curious children won't pull hot contents down on themselves.

• Keep bathroom doors closed with a hook-and-eye latch above a child’s reach, to keep kids away from hazards in the bathroom.

• Tape up any loose rugs firmly to the floor/carpet to avoid slips and slides of running toddlers.

We all know that nothing replaces active supervision but the right safety devices can go a long way in helping to protect children. Be a savvy shopper with these low-cost investments, and remember, a higher price does not mean the device is safer or easier to use.

• Outlet plugs $2
• Cabinet/drawer locks $4
• Window stop $5
• Furniture strap/bracket $5
• Smoke alarm $10
• Carbon monoxide alarm $20
• Window guard $30
• Safety gate $40

Keeping your child safe is priceless!

Q&A of the Week

Q: What are some of the less obvious items that can present potential hazards in my home?

A: Untacked rugs, poorly secured heavy furniture, unlocked cabinets, long window blind cords and loose power cords are some of the not-so-obvious hazards that could be overlooked in your home. All these hazards can be fixed with a few minutes of your time or a few dollars. Investing time or money now in a secure home will pay off later.

Tipping Furniture: A Hidden Hazard in Your Home | Top

Whether you have a baby learning to stand, an unsteady toddler trying to climb or a fearless preschooler who still doesn’t quite understand balance, furniture tip-overs are a real danger for kids.

Regardless of your child’s abilities and limitations, top-heavy furniture, TVs and appliances can tip over and seriously injure young children. There are many easy-to-install devices that anchor furniture to the wall, making furniture more stable and tip-over resistant. These devices are designed for dressers, wall units and anything your little explorer might try to climb.

Safety Tips

Safe Kids recommends the following safety tips to help prevent tip-over hazards:

• If a piece of furniture is unstable or top-heavy, secure it to a stud in the wall using brackets, braces, anchors or wall straps. Large items such as TVs, microwaves, fish tanks, bookcases, heavy furniture and appliances can topple off stands and fall on children. 

• If possible, use a stand specifically designed for your TV as recommended by the manufacturer or place your TV on sturdy furniture appropriate for its size. Make sure both the stand and TV are properly secured to the wall and push your TV as far back on the stand as possible, out of your child's reach.

• If you have a newer, flat screen TV, make sure it’s properly anchored to the wall.

• Read the manufacturer's instructions for tips or warnings regarding placement of your TV or furniture.

• Keep heavier items on lower shelves or in lower drawers.

• Tie up loose cords, as a child pulling on an electrical cord, or tripping on one, could pull an appliance off a stand.

• Don't keep remote controls, candy, toys or other items that attract children on top of furniture, as your child might be enticed to reach for these items.

• Supervise young children at all times.

Q&A of the Week

Q: I’ve taught my child to never climb on our furniture, which is well-made and sometimes too heavy for me to move it. Why should I worry?

A: Children love to play and sometimes think they’re invincible. Even if they can repeat your rules back to you, they may not recognize a hazard when they’re in a dangerous situation. Unless they’re properly secured to the wall, all pieces of freestanding furniture, large appliances or TVs have the capability of tipping over. It’s in your hands as a parent to make their environments as safe as possible

Smoke Alarms Save Lives | Top

Have You Tested Your Smoke Alarms This Month?

In a fire, smoke can be deadly. There may be as little as 2 minutes after a smoke alarm sounds for you and your family to escape. That’s why you need smoke alarms to alert you early.

When a child is injured or dies from a residential fire, a smoke alarm isn’t working or is missing in almost 3 out of 4 incidents.

Having a working smoke alarm reduces your chances of dying in a fire by nearly 50 percent. Functioning smoke alarms should be installed and maintained in several places, including:

• On every level of your home, including the basement.
• Outside each sleeping area and in each bedroom.
• Central locations such as the living room and the top of the stairwell.

Did You Know…?

Children younger than age 7 are at greater risk of injury from fire or non-fire burns. They’re also more vulnerable to smoke and flames in a fire and have a hard time escaping the home by themselves.

Consider This…

Need an easy way to remember to test your smoke alarms each month? Make it a habit to test them every time you pay your mortgage or rent.

Q&A of the Week

Q: How often should I change the batteries in my smoke alarms?

A: You should change batteries once a year, unless you have alarms with 10-year lithium batteries. Even if your alarms are hardwired, change the batteries in case of a power failure.

Tip of the Week

Preschool-aged children (3 years and older) can begin to learn what to do in case of a fire. Teach your little ones that the sound of a smoke alarm means go outside immediately, meet at a designated place and don’t hide from firefighters.

Bike Helmets: A Necessity, Not an Accessory | Top

A child is injured in a bike-related incident almost every two minutes. Whether your child uses a small bicycle with training wheels or a big kid’s bike, make sure he or she wears a helmet correctly on every ride. It’s the single most effective way to prevent a serious head injury from bike crashes.

Fitting a Bike Helmet

Here’s how to choose a helmet:

• A bike helmet should be labeled to indicate that it meets the safety standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  Look for the CPSC certification sticker inside the helmet and on the box.

• As long as it’s certified, let kids pick out their own helmet. If they think a helmet looks cool, they’ll be more likely to wear it, even when you’re not around.

Do the “eyes, ears and mouth” test to get the right fit. A helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position, and shouldn’t rock forward and backward or side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled but not too tightly.

• EYES check: Place the helmet on your child’s head. Have your child look up and he or she should see the bottom rim of the helmet. The rim should be one to two finger-widths above his or her eyebrows.

• EARS check:  Make sure the straps of the helmet form a "V" under the ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable.

• MOUTH check:  Ask your child to open his or her mouth as wide as he or she can. Does he or she feel the helmet hug his or her head?  If not, tighten those straps and make sure the buckle is flat against his or her skin.

Remember bike helmets are for biking. Kids should not wear bike helmets on the playground, where the straps can get caught on equipment and cause injury, or for activities that require specialized helmets such as skiing or football.

Q&As of the Week

Q: Is it true my child can wear a bike helmet when doing other wheeled sports?

A: It’s essential that your child wears a helmet for all wheeled sports activities. It’s true that a properly-fitted bike helmet is just as effective when riding a scooter, roller skating or inline skating. However, when skateboarding and longboarding, make sure your child wears a skateboarding helmet.

Q: When should I replace my child’s bike helmet?

A: A bike helmet should be replaced:

• If it has been in a crash. Impact crushes some of the foam and the helmet is less protective although the helmet may not look like it’s damaged.

• If it’s from the 1980s.

• If the outside of the helmet is made from foam or cloth, instead of plastic.

• If it lacks a CPSC sticker.

• If you can’t adjust it to fit correctly. Maybe it’s too small for your child by now…

Carbon Monoxide: Preventing the Silent Killer | Top

Learn about carbon monoxide (CO), where it comes from and easy ways to protect your family.

Since it's impossible to see, taste or smell its toxic fumes, CO can be deadly before you know it's in your home. Young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of CO and may show symptoms sooner than a healthy adult. Because of their smaller bodies, children process CO differently than adults and may be more severly affected by it.

To prevent CO poisoning:

• Install a CO alarm outside every sleeping area and on every level of your home.

• Place CO alarms at least 15 feet away from every fuel-burning appliance to reduce the number of nuisance alarms.

• Test alarms every month and replace them every 5 years.

• Make sure alarms can be heard when you test them and practice an escape plan with your entire family.

The most common symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and confusion. In severe cases, the affected person may lose consciousness. If there is a CO leak, more than one person in the house will often suffer symptoms at the same time.

Q&A of the Week

Q: What should you do if your CO alarm goes off?

A: If your CO alarm goes off, follow these simple steps:

• Get everyone out of the house as quickly as possible into fresh air. Then call for help from a neighbor's home or a cell phone outside of your home.

• If you're experiencing symptoms, call 911 for medical attention. If no one is experiencing symptoms, call the fire department. They will let you know when it is safe to reenter your home.

The How & Why of Keeping Your Kids Safe from Injury | Top

As kids grow and develop, they may have different abilities and limitations that put them at a higher risk for specific injuries. 

The dangers children face go beyond a sprained ankle or a skinned knee. Kids are always pushing the boundaries and trying new things, which can lead to getting hurt.

The Problem

There were more than six million unintentional injuries to children ages 0 to 14 in 2007 that required care in an emergency room, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This translates into 12 injuries per minute. Unintentional injuries are the number one cause of death and disability for kids ages 1 to 14. But with the right information, many of these injuries can be prevented.

The Research

Raising Safe Kids: One Stage at a Time is an extensive review of child development research and unintentional injury.

The results create a blueprint of essential safety recommendations for parents and caregivers to follow as children grow and develop.

The report is divided into four stages of development:

• Babies (0 to 12 months)
• Little Kids (1 to 4 years)
• Big Kids (5 to 9 years)
• Pre-Teens (10 to 14 years)

The Risks & Tips

Safety tips are broken down by developmental stage and cover the five areas that cause the greatest number of injuries to children 14 and under:

• Motor vehicle occupancy injuries
• Falls
• Bicycle-related injuries
• Fire and burns and
• Poisonings
  
• Other risk areas not listed here

Videos

Watch Safe Kids volunteers give parents tips on keeping babies safer!

Babies (0 to 1)

Little Kids (1 to 4)

Big Kids (5 to 9)