Medical City Healthcare - August 21, 2018

In addition to manuals, babies should come with bubble wrap — but they don't! Bringing a new baby home can be intimidating. You may be left wondering if you bought the right locks for the medicine cabinet or if your hot water heater temperature is set too high. So many potential hazards to think about!

That's where we can help. We'll take you through the six most common pediatric injuries and how you can take steps to avoid them.

The 6 most common childhood injuries.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the top six ways in which infants and children are injured include:

Drowning

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of injury death in children ages 1 to 4. Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife told the Today show that they're hoping to create more awareness around drowning after losing their 19-month-old daughter.

Steps you can take to reduce your child's risk of drowning:

  • NEVER leave kids unattended in or near water
  • Fence pools on four sides, always lock gates and use a pool cover
  • Teach kids to swim as early as possible
  • Learn infant CPR and hands-free CPR in case of emergency

Suffocation

Accidental suffocation is responsible for 75% of all unintentional injury deaths in babies and is most likely to occur when they are in bed.

Steps you can take to reduce your child's risk of suffocation:

  • Secure window blind cords and curtain ties out of reach or better yet, remove them completely or choose cordless options; keep cribs and toddler beds away from window treatments
  • Avoid serving young children foods that they can choke on
  • Never leave a child alone while eating
  • Keep small kitchen items, toys, coins, nuts and bolts, plastic bags and balloons off the floor and out of reach

Falls

Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries to children ages 0 to 19. More than 8,000 kids are taken to the emergency room each day with injuries caused by a fall.

Steps you can take to keep children safe from falls:

  • Keep floors free of tripping hazards and block access to stairways and steps
  • Always put away ladders and stepstools and never leave them unattended
  • Make sure kids wear protective gear (helmets, pads, etc.) for sports activities
  • Learn the signs of concussion and know when to take your child to the ER

Poisoning

Accidental poisoning sends 300 kids a day to the ER and takes the lives of two.

Steps you can take to keep children safe from falls:

Burns

Burns are responsible for more than 300 ER visits a day by children ages 0 to 19. Each day, two of those children don't make it home.

Steps you can take to keep kids safe from burns:

  • Younger children are most susceptible to burns from hot liquids or steam
    • Never leave hot or cooking food unattended
    • Set your hot water heater to 120°F or low-med
    • Test bathwater and formula on your inner wrist
  • Older kids are more likely to suffer burns from direct contact with fire

Motor vehicle accidents

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death from injury in children ages 5 to 19. Each hour, nearly 150 children are taken to ERs with serious crash-related injuries.

Steps you can take to reduce your child's risk a motor vehicle accident:

  • Secure children in age-appropriate, correctly installed car seats
  • Don't drive distracted; that includes texting and driving
  • Check behind your vehicle before backing up; teach children not to play behind or in cars, including trunks
  • Keep kids from being strangled by power windows and seat belts by properly restraining them and never leaving them alone in a vehicle
  • Avoid vehicular heatstroke, one of the leading causes of non-crash-related fatalities among children, by learning how to avoid hot car deaths

We don't just deliver babies. We deliver dreams. Find the perfect doctor for you or your baby or call our free, 24/7 Ask a Nurse hotline.

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