Fall Prevention for Kids
With young children, falls are likely a part of daily life. As toddlers learn to walk, most of their falls will be a very short distance onto a safely padded backside. Our prevention efforts focus on the ones that are far less common, but far more likely to cause critical injury, like falling off a counter or out of a window.
Preventing falls at home requires some planning. Focus on these areas to prevent falls.
Furniture
- Use anchors, braces, mounts, etc., to secure furniture – especially TVs – to the wall and prevent tip-overs.
- Keep furniture away from windows.
- Strap kids into high chairs and always place baby carriers on the floor.
- Never leave a baby or child unattended on a counter, bed, couch or changing table.
Stairs
- Use safety gates to keep young children from accessing the top and bottom of stairs in your home.
- Remove clutter from stairs to prevent trip and falls.
Windows
- Install window guards and emergency release devices to prevent falls and prepare for fires at the same time.
- Window screens will not keep a child from falling out of the window if they push on them.
- Install window stops to keep windows from opening more than 4 inches (children can fall from windows opened as little as 5 inches)
- Keep windows locked.
- Keep furniture away from windows so children don’t climb out the window.
Shopping Carts
A fall from a shopping cart can cause a serious head injury or even death to a child.
- Place your child in the shopping cart seat facing you and use the safety belt.
- Never leave your child unattended in the cart.
- Don’t allow children to push a shopping cart with another child in it.
- Don’t put a baby carrier in the shopping cart.
- Don’t allow your child to climb the cart or stand up in it.
Playgrounds
- Pick a play area with a rubberized surface, sand, mulch, etc. that can cushion an unexpected fall.
- Check that the playground equipment is age-appropriate for your child – a sticker on the equipment will specify the intended age range.