Child Safety

Today we look at two very different articles with one common theme: the safety of children.

First up, a report on playground injuries and how there has been a noted decrease of over 40% in hospital admissions due to injuries sustained on a playground.  The decrease has been credited to the City of Toronto investment in improving playground equipment across the area.  Specific improvements highlighted included softer surfaces and better railings and barriers.  The article also noted that the majority of injuries occur in the 5-9 year old age range, and attributed this to a period where children are more confident and parents are more relaxed on the playground instead of hovering over their kids.

The second article reports on a study that has found an increase in SIDS risk for infants less than a month old when using a car seat.  The study also theorized that the seated position in general may pose an increased risk for SIDS, but could not confirm this fact.  However, the researchers were quick to note that the increased risk of injury to the infant by traveling without a carseat is significantly higher than the SIDS risk (in other words, don't ride with your kid in your arms and justify it by saying you're preventing SIDS).

Both articles, in their own way, stress the role parents play in the safety of their children.  That role involves paying more attention to your child at the neighbourhood park instead of socializing with other adults or talking on a cell phone.  It also involves making sure your infant's position is as ideal as it can be, given your circumstances. In both examples, the key is the attention parents pay to their their children's actions, and their children in general.

Comments

[heather]

I think that it is great that Toronto has improved equipment and safety at their playgrounds. Our town needs to step up and I am planning to write a letter about it soon. The sand in all of our playgrounds is as hard a a rock. Kids have a tough time even digging in it. I can't imagine that sand that hard would cushion a fall. Those sorts of improvements are tax dollars well spent.