Preventing Falls Among Infants and Children Adult supervision, home
modification, and informed product selection can help reduce the likelihood of childhood
falls and fall-related injuries. To help protect your children from fall-related injuries,
follow these safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Safety Council,
HUD, and the Lowe's Home Safety Council. (Note: If your child falls and acts abnormally in
any way, call your pediatrician immediately.)
Infants
Babies are particularly vulnerable to falls and need to be closely supervised at all
times.
- Never leave babies alone on any furniture, including beds, tables, sofas, or cribs and
changing tables with the guard rails down -- even if they have never rolled over before.
In just a few seconds, babies can wiggle or roll off furniture and potentially hurt
themselves. Instead, put babies on the floor or in a crib with secured guard rails.
- When changing a baby's diaper in a crib or on a changing table, be sure the guard rails
are up and latched securely. Some changing tables also come with safety straps that you
can use to secure your baby. When you do not have access to a crib or changing table with
guard rails or safety straps, be sure to keep at least one hand on your baby at all times.
Choosing Safe Baby Products
When purchasing baby products, buy items and equipment that meet current safety
standards and be sure to follow instructions and use the equipment properly (e.g., use the
straps on highchairs, strollers, and changing tables). Be particularly cautious when
buying used cribs or furniture as certain safety standards or regulations may have changed
since the time they were built. Refer to some of the safety resources listed below for
more specific information about current standards and features.
Highchairs
- In one year, approximately 7,000 children were sent to the hospital for falls from
highchairs.
- Buy a highchair that has important safety features like a wide base, a locking tray, and
a restraining belt or safety strap. Look for a label on the chair certifying that it meets
current safety standards.
- Always use safety straps to restrain children in their high chairs.
Cribs
When buying a crib, look for the following features:
- Certification that it meets safety standards.
- Corner posts that do not stick up more than 1/16 of an inch.
- Rail slats that are spaced less than 2 3/8 inches apart (to prevent strangulation from
children getting their heads caught between the slats). If a soda can fits through the
openings between slats, the slats are too wide.
- A snug-fitting mattress.
- As the baby gets older and learns to sit and pull himself up to a standing position,
lower the mattress in the crib. You should stop using the crib as soon as the top rails
are less than 3/4 of the child's height.
- Do not put toys or pillows in the crib that she could stand on or use to crawl out of
the crib. (The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that you avoid putting any
toys or soft bedding in infants' cribs as they may contribute to suffocation. Refer to the
SafeUSA "Suffocation" fact sheet for more information.)
- When your child switches to a toddler bed, be sure to install guard rails on both sides
of the bed. Check to make sure the mattress fits snugly into the frame.
- You might also consider installing soft flooring around your child's crib or bed to
lessen the severity of a fall-related injury. Examples of such flooring include thick
carpeting, a pad, or a gym mat.
Baby Walkers
- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, baby walkers should not be used. In
1997, baby walker-related injuries resulted in more than 16,000 children receiving
treatment in hospital emergency rooms. Most of the injuries occur when children in baby
walkers fall down stairs (80%) or tip over (5%). And falls down stairs are associated with
the most severe injuries and are more likely to result in head injury and hospitalization.
Supervision is not enough to make these products safe–nearly 80% of the baby
walker-related injuries occurred while infants were being supervised. Baby walkers enable
children to be more mobile than they are ready to be developmentally. And baby walkers
make it easier for infants to reach dangerous things on tables–things they would not
be able to reach if they were crawling.
- A safer alternative to a baby walker is a "stationary walker"–a play
table that has a turning seat.
Infants, Toddlers, and Older Children
Constant supervision is extremely important in preventing falls among children.
Children are active, energetic, and fast moving and serious falls can occur in a matter of
seconds. There are some steps you can take, however, to modify your home and reduce the
likelihood of a fall occurring.
Modify Your Home to Make it Child-Friendly
- Crawl through each room and look at your house from a child's perspective. Look under
the sofa cushions, cabinets, throw rugs, etc.
- Arrange furniture in such a way that you can see children from all parts of the room.
- Install padding on sharp corners to lessen the severity of fall-related injuries against
them. Pay special attention to coffee tables, file cabinets, and other items that may be
low to the ground.
- Lock doors and block access to any dangerous areas. Hide the keys from your children.
Floors
Look closely at your floor surfaces. Modify slippery surfaces and remove hazards
whenever possible.
- Secure area rugs and throw rugs by using a nonskid backing (foam carpet backing,
double-sided tape, and rubber pads can be found at many carpet and department stores.)
- If you have hard floors (e.g., wood, tile, linoleum), clean up spills immediately to
avoid slipping. Avoid over-waxing.
- Use rubber mats or slip-resistant stickers on bathroom tiles and in the bathtub to
prevent slips and falls. And never leave children alone in the tub–if they slip and
falls, they may not be able to call for help.
- To prevent tripping on wires, route electrical and other cords behind furniture or along
the walls, and tape or tack them down.
- Remove clutter from the floor–pick up toys, books, clothing, and any other items
that may be on the floor.
- Make your stairs safer by keeping them well-lit and free of clutter. You can also
install non-skid stair runners.
Safety Gates
- Use safety gates to prevent infants and toddlers from falling down stairs or entering
dangerous rooms or areas (i.e., rooms with furniture that babies might climb on or hard
edges against which they might fall).
- Properly install gates at the top and bottom of all staircases.
- Teach members of the family, including older children, to consistently latch the gate
whenever they use it.
- Look for gates with vertical slats that are no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. If the gate
has diamond-shaped openings, they should be less than 12 inches wide.
- Do not use accordion gates with large openings as a child's neck can get trapped.
Windows
- Install window guards on all windows above the first floor (excluding those that serve
as fire emergency exits). Window guards that can be forcefully dislodged from the inside
in case of fire are safest.
- When using double-hung windows, or windows that can open at the top or the bottom, open
them from the top to prevent children from falling out. Install locks on all other types
of windows.
- Keep furniture away from windows to prevent children from climbing out.
- Do not rely on insect screens to prevent falls. They are designed to keep insects out
and are not strong enough to keep children in. Keep children away from all open
windows–with or without screens.
Monitor Outdoor Play
- Select play equipment that is safe for children. For example, select tricycle models
that keep children low to the ground. (See the SafeUSA fact sheet "Playground
Safety" for more information.)
- Discourage active play on outdoor decks, balconies, fire escapes, high porches, and
roofs. When possible, remove climbing aids in yards or on balconies (e.g., woodpiles, tree
branches, furniture near deck railings).
- Cover window wells to prevent children from falling in.
- Buy your children shoes that will reduce their chances of falling. A good example would
be low-cut sneakers with rough, rubber soles.
Falls affect everyone. For younger children and older adults, however, falls are a
special concern and fall-related injuries can be extremely serious. In 1997, 87 children
age 9 and younger and 9,023 adults age 65 and older died as a result of fall-related
injuries. Falls are also the most common cause of injury visits to the emergency
department for young children and older adults. Each year, approximately 3,125,000
children visit emergency departments for fall-related injuries. Falls are responsible for
more open wounds, fractures, and brain injuries than any other cause of injury.
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| The data and safety tips in this fact sheet were obtained from the
following sources:
American Academy of Pediatrics. Caring for your baby and young child, birth to age 5:
The complete and authoritative guide. New York: Bantam Books, 1991.
Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury
Prevention and Control for Children and Youth. Elk Grove Village, IL: The Academy, 1997.
Institute of Medicine. Reducing the burden of injury: Advancing prevention and
treatment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999.
Lowe’s Home Safety Council. Protect your child: Simple solutions to a safer home.
Available at www.lowes.com/lowes/safety/safehome/safehome.asp.
Accessed September 1999.
National Center for Health Statistics. National Mortality Data. Hyattsville, Md.: NCHS,
1999.
National SAFE KIDS Campaign. Falls [Fact Sheet]. Available at www.safekids.org/fact99/falls99.html.
Accessed September 1999.
National Safety Council. Keeping kids safe from home falls. Available at www>Work | Contact Us
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last updated May 02, 2001
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