• 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.

  Never leave babies alone on any furniture - beds, tables, sofas, cribs with the guardrails down, or changing tables - even if they have never rolled over.
• Choose baby products that meet required safety standards. Utilize all safety straps and features. Look for special safety features on high chairs, cribs, and other equipment.
• Install padding on sharp corners.

• Install window guards on all windows above the first floor.
• If you must open windows for ventilation, make sure your child cannot reach the open window.
• Set rules with your child about playing near windows.
• Remove furniture near windows that children can climb on.
• Do not rely on insect screens to keep children from falling out of windows.

Stairs

• Remove clutter from floor and stairs.
• Use safety gates to prevent infants and toddlers from falling down stairs. Do not use accordion gates with large openings, because children can get trapped.

Floor surfaces

• Modify slippery surfaces and remove hazards on floors wherever possible.
• Secure area rugs with foam carpet backing, double-sided tape, or a rubber pad.

Playgrounds

• Adults should always supervise children during trips to the playground. Young children, and even older ones, often do not have the proper judgment to identify unsafe situations that proper supervision can help prevent. In case there are injuries, an adult should be on hand to administer first-aid immediately.
• Make sure playground equipment is age-appropriate. Most equipment manufactured today is made for two age groups: children from 2 to 5 years old, and children from 5 to 12 years old. Since 1994, manufacturers are required to have a sticker placed on each piece of equipment indicating the appropriate age group it is designed for. Looking for this sticker can help you judge whether it is age-appropriate for your child.
• Play areas for younger children should be separate from those of older children. To reduce the risk of injury, children under the age of 5 should not play on equipment taller than four feet. Equipment for 5 to 12-year-olds should not be taller than eight feet.
• Surfaces under playground equipment should be soft enough to absorb falls. Recommended surfaces include wood chips or mulch, sand, pea gravel, rubber, and rubber-like materials that are maintained at a depth of 12 inches. Other safe alternatives include rubber mats, synthetic turf, or other artificial materials. Concrete, grass, blacktop, and packed surfaces are considered unsafe.
• Surface materials should cover "fall zones" surrounding equipment. This usually requires a minimum of six feet in all directions from the equipment.
• Playground equipment should be adequately spaced apart from one another to prevent overcrowding.
• Swings, seesaws, and other equipment with moving parts should be located in areas that are separate from the rest of the playground in order to prevent children from having to cross directly in front of or behind swings to reach them.
• Make sure equipment has been specifically designed for playground use.

• Stationary "walkers," which allow the child to rotate and bounce.
• Play pens.
• High chairs.