Preventing common injuries in kids — a safety guide for Arizona parents

Angelica Baker

Submitted photo

While parents wear many hats, one of the most important is that of the protector, doing everything they can to make the world a safer place for their children. Unfortunately, injuries happen even to the most well-behaved kids and well-intentioned parents.

Falls

By far, the most common type of preventable injury in children results from a fall. These types of injuries are often the result of a ground-level fall, such as when a toddler is learning to walk or when a child trips while running. It also may occur when a child rolls or falls off a piece of furniture, falls on or from the stairs or falls off something on wheels.

Given the high rate of falling off furniture, never leave a baby or toddler unsupervised on changing tables, beds, tables, sofas or cribs with the guardrails down. You can prevent potential falls from windows by installing window guards; never rely on the insect screen to provide any support. Choose slip-resistant mats and rugs at home and always keep stairs free from clutter (yes, even the laundry that needs to go upstairs at the end of the day).

According to the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration, more U.S. children ages 5 to14 go to emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries than any other sport. Many of these visits are for head injuries. When using anything with wheels, ensure proper supervision at all times and never let a child ride anything without a helmet and proper safety gear.

Playgrounds are another common location where falls may happen. Make sure the equipment is age appropriate and seek out playgrounds with soft flooring meant to absorb falls such as wood chips or mulch, sand, pea gravel or rubber.

Motor vehicle crashes

Motor vehicle crashes rank second to falls for preventable injuries in children and teens. In Arizona, they are among the most common causes of preventable deaths of children. Using an appropriate restraint drastically reduces a child’s risk of injury or death in event of a crash.

Phoenix Children’s reaches out to parents about the importance and correct use of car seats, booster seats and restraints. We teach how to factor in the child's age, height, weight and any special needs, in addition to offering guidance on the latest pediatric recommendations and state laws. Through the program, trained technicians check car seat installations, provide education, distribute car seats and provide special needs consultations for those children whose health conditions require specialized safety interventions.

Drowning prevention

Water-related injuries are especially high in Arizona; in fact, children in this age group are drowning at double the national average. Since most of these occur in swimming pools, installing a pool fence is the single easiest way to decrease the chance of water-related injury.

Plan regular swim time to decrease the chances of a child sneaking out back to splash around, and name one of the parents or caregivers “the pool boss” every 15 minutes. Choose a caregiver who is not stressed, exhausted or distracted.

Families are encouraged to add pool or door alarms, so they have another type of barrier to keep their child inside. This also includes adding self-latching locks to doors that lead to the backyard as well as restricting access to doggy doors. Also make sure there is no furniture that leans against or near the pool fence that might allow a child to climb over the fence. If your home does not already have one, install an alarm that chimes when any door is open.

Inside the home, never leave a child unattended in the bath, and if enjoying other types of water — perhaps a lake or pond — children should wear a life jacket at all times. They also can wear one at the pool, especially if unable to swim confidently.

Mental health

Finally, mental health issues continue to be a rising cause of injury among youth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly one in five U.S. children had a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder, but only about 20% received care from a specialized mental health care provider. Be sure to speak with your child’s pediatrician about mental health, and you can also contact your insurance via the back of your insurance card to find resources. In emergencies, always call 911.

Keep the lines of communication open with children and always be on the lookout for persistent sadness, withdrawal, sudden overwhelming fears, change in eating habits or weight loss, changes in academic performance and/or difficulty sleeping.

Store medications and sharp objects in lock boxes — both of which Phoenix Children’s can provide at no cost — and ensure you properly dispose of medications when they’re no longer needed. Firearms should be locked and unloaded, with the ammunition locked away separately.

Editor’s note: Angelica Baker is manager of injury prevention at Phoenix Children’s. She lives in Mesa. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.