Getting hurt is part of being a kid—but we all prefer it when accidents result in minor bumps and bruises worthy of a Band-Aid rather than a trip to the hospital. The good news is that many serious injuries are preventable.
In broad terms, there are basically two parts to injury prevention. The first part is preparation, which means ensuring that the children’s environment is safe: childproofing a house, for instance. The second is supervision. This means ensuring that an adult is around, available, and focused—they shouldn’t be distracted by their phone or intoxicated.
Knowing which injuries are most common can help you understand how to best childproof and what to look out for while you’re supervising.
These are the top causes of injury in kids and the best (as well as the most surprising) ways to prevent them.
1. Motor vehicle accidents
Toting kids to and from play dates, sports practice, and dance lessons comes with risks. A great number of motor vehicle accidents involve incorrect seat belt use or lack of seat belts.
How to protect babies and toddlers:
Use the correct car seat for the child’s height and weight, and don’t be in a rush to turn the car seat forward-facing as they grow. Rear-facing is safer until you hit the maximum height and weight the seat allows. Experts recommend kids ride rear-facing until at least age two, even if their legs seem a bit scrunched up.
The majority of people, about three-quarters, install car seats incorrectly. Even though these vital products can reduce the risk of car accident-related death by more than 70 percent, they don’t offer anywhere near the same level of protection when installed incorrectly.
Read the seat’s manual carefully and look for local hospital or community programs where safety pros can check that your seat is installed correctly.
How to protect bigger kids:
Keep kids seated in the back seat, which is always safer than the front. Use a booster seat until the car’s seat belt fits them properly, which is at a height of about 4’9” and age 8 to 12.
Car crash data reveals that the wrong seat belt positioning can lead to significant abdominal and spinal injuries.
Did you know…
As soon as your car seat has been in one accident, it needs to be replaced with a new one.
2. Suffocation
It’s every parent and caregiver’s worst nightmare: a child who’s unable to breathe. Sleep, food, and toy safety are important in preventing suffocation.
How to protect babies and toddlers:
Infants are most likely to suffocate while they sleep. Keep the baby’s crib free of toys, puffy blankets, pillows, and any other objects. Baby bumpers may be cute, but unsafe. All the crib really should have is a fitted sheet on the mattress and perhaps one receiving blanket—or you can dress the baby in a sleep sack instead.
Experts say babies should always sleep on their backs in their own, separate sleep space. It can be hard not to co-sleep, especially if you’re doing overnight care and the baby cries each time you put them down. But many healthy babies that otherwise would have been fine die each year from co-sleeping.
For toddlers, choking is the biggest cause of suffocation. Cut all foods into very small bites, especially those that can be tough to chew. Avoid common choking hazards, such as whole grapes, nuts, raisins, and popcorn for kids under the age of four.
How to protect bigger kids:
Make sure that children don’t run around with any food in their mouth.
Did you know…
Don’t let small children play with balloons, since they tend to put things in their mouths. Pieces of balloon can get stuck in their windpipe and turn into a one-way valve that stops them from breathing.
Window blind cords can cause strangulation—keep them tied up way out of reach, or better yet, get rid of them completely. Other long cords, such as skipping ropes, can also be turned into a hazard.
3. Drowning
Drowning is one of the most common causes of death or injury in kids aged one to four.
How to protect babies and toddlers:
Never leave a child in a pool area unattended, even for a second. The same applies to any body of water. All it takes is two inches of water and a small child can drown.
How to protect bigger kids:
It’s important to stay within arm’s reach of a child at the pool; watching from the edge of the pool isn’t safe enough. Get them to use an approved floatation device rather than water wings, which don’t provide enough safety. And finally, make sure they start taking swimming lessons early on.
Any time a child goes missing, always check the bottom of the pool first—even if you think the child is probably in their bedroom or somewhere else safe. If they’re in in the pool, every second is crucial.
Did you know…
Water around the house, such as in a tub, toilet, or bucket, is statistically more likely to drown a child than a swimming pool. You can mitigate these risks by using childproofing locks on toilet seats and cabinets and by using safety gates.
4. Poisoning
Household chemicals, cleaning products, and medicines are often the culprits that can lead to poisoning in children.
How to protect babies and toddlers:
Babyproof your home by removing all medications and chemical cleaners and putting them high out of reach. Even kids’ medications, such as Tylenol or gummy vitamins, can be damaging or life-threatening when taken in large doses—and they’re tempting to kids because they taste sweet. Also, dishwashing and laundry pods look a lot like sweets but can cause burns in the esophagus if a child bites into them.
If you think they’ve ingested something hazardous, always call 911. And take them to the ER if you’re not sure what it was.
How to protect bigger kids:
Unfortunately, older kids get curious and may take medications knowingly. So, take the childproofing a step further and put meds in a locked box with the key in a separate, secret location, as kids usually figure these things out.
Did you know…
Your purse should be medication-free, too. Children tend to go into purses in the hopes of finding some sweets or a mint but actually end up grabbing medication, some of which can be fatal to small bodies.
5. Burns
Children end up in emergency rooms every day to be treated for burns.
How to protect babies and toddlers:
Younger kids tend to get burnt by hot liquids or steam, but there are a few precautions you can take to cut down on their risk. First, set the water heater to 48°C or lower. At that temperature, even if your child knocks the tap handle all the way to one side while they’re having a bath, the water still won’t be hot enough for them to get second- or third-degree burns.
When cooking, turn pot handles toward the stove, so little hands can’t pull at them, and get childproofing safety items like knob covers for the stove and a locking latch for the oven. Keep an eagle eye on kids in the kitchen in general.
How to protect bigger kids:
Older kids are more likely to be burned from direct contact with fire. Keep any lighters—whether for cigarettes, candles, or outdoor grills—well out of the reach of kids.
Even lighters equipped with a safety mechanism will often allow a spark, which is enough to give a child a nasty burn.
Did you know…
Always seek medical care for burns on the face, hands, feet, genitals, or near a joint. Also, visit a doctor anytime clothing is stuck to the burn, if the child has a fever, if you don’t know if they’re up to date on their tetanus shots, or if they have a medical condition that could inhibit the healing process.
6. Falls
Falls are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries for children.
How to protect babies and toddlers:
Babies can fall from changing tables and beds, so clip the baby into the changing pad and handle them as if they can roll over, even if they haven’t done it yet. They tend to roll when we least expect it. Car seat carriers have been known to fall off tables and other surfaces, so never rest them above the ground. Second floor and higher windows should have safety window guards installed, too.
If a baby falls, you should take them to the ER immediately to be evaluated for a head injury.
How to protect bigger kids:
Make sure kids are wearing helmets when riding their bikes, skateboards, scooters, and anything else with wheels. Elbow and kneepads are a good idea, too. Choose playgrounds based on the recommended age, often posted on a nearby sign.
If children too young are allowed to play on equipment not indicated for their age group, the risk of moving injuries is higher.
Did you know…
The right amount of quality sleep is essential in more ways than one. It can help prevent injuries. Kids are more likely to fall and get hurt when they’re tired.
Adults are much less accident-prone when well rested, too.
Other injury causes
Our experts flag a few other important ways you can prevent injuries:
- Small magnets: These aren’t just choking hazards. If swallowed, tiny magnets—which can come as part of older kids’ playsets—can become attracted to each other inside the body and cause perforation of the intestines and other serious injuries. Keep them far away from small kids. If you think the child has swallowed one, head to the ER.
- Button batteries: Button batteries are inside some toys, remote controls, and other devices. The batteries are caustic and can do serious internal damage and even cause death if swallowed. Keep anything with a button battery out of the reach of small kids, and if a toy breaks, take it away from the child immediately.
- Hot cars: Never leave a child in a car unattended, even if it doesn’t seem hot outside and even if a window is cracked open. The temperature can quickly rise to a fatal level.
Important numbers and locations
Every parent and caregiver should have these phone numbers programmed into their contacts and written down. Also, know where the closest ER is.
- 911: We all know 911, but it’s important to know when to use it. If the child was submerged in water or is having trouble breathing—if they’re breathing faster than 60 times a minute, turning blue, or have stopped breathing—or they’ve fallen and are unconscious, call 911 right away. If you’re around other adults, ask one of them for help, either to call 911 or to tend to the hurt child.
- Accident and emergency: Go to the ER if the child is in a car accident where the airbag was deployed, where someone else was injured or where they weren’t in the car seat. Also, go to the ER if a child has a seizure that lasts more than five minutes. If you’re not sure whether to take them to see a doctor that day, the answer is always yes—whether it’s a pediatrician, urgent care, or the ER.
- Child’s pediatrician or nurse practitioner: Find out how the child’s primary doctor handles calls for minor injuries in the case that you need immediate advice. Some will put questions through to the doctor personally. Others have a nurse practitioner line, where you can receive advice, such as whether you should take the child to urgent care or how you can treat the wound yourself.
- Urgent care centre: If the injury is minor but you think the child should be checked by a medical professional or might need a minor procedure, such as stitches, you may be able to bring them to an urgent care facility. Know in advance where the nearest urgent care centre is that specializes in pediatrics. In some cases, you can call ahead to request a timeslot for the child to be seen.
- Parents’ emergency line: If you’re a caregiver, you definitely have the child’s parents’ cell phone numbers, but what if they’re not available and you need to contact them immediately? This can be tricky if they have a job that means they’re unreachable for long periods, if they’re somewhere loud, or if they’re somewhere without a cell signal. Some cell phones can be programmed with Emergency Bypass or Bypass Mode, where certain phone numbers can get through in an emergency, even in airplane or “do not disturb” mode. Know the restaurant or theatre they’ll be at, the main landline to their office or their assistant’s contact information. Arranging a plan B with the parents in advance ensures that if it’s a life-or-death situation, you can get through to them. Hopefully, you’ll never need to use it.
