FALL PREVENTION
In Virginia, falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury to children. Very young children often fall from nursery room furniture and baby walkers increase their risk of falling down stairs. Toddlers and preschoolers are at risk for window falls and balcony falls. Older children often fall from playground equipment and during sports and recreational activities. Adult supervision, home modification, and informed product selection can help reduce the likelihood of childhood falls.
Each year in America, over 200,000 children receive emergency department care for playground related injuries. That is one child every 2 1/2 minutes. Most playground injuries are the result of falls - falls to the ground below equipment and falls from one piece of equipment to another. These falls can cause serious brain and spinal cord injuries or even death.
True Story
Mother was home with toddler that morning. It was an unseasonably warm January day. That morning, she had exercised in the playroom and had opened a window to let in cool air. The window was screened. She left it open. When she walked into the playroom, she found one of the child- sized plastic chairs in the room pushed up to the window and the screen gone. A glance out told her worst fear was true. There was her toddler, on the ground, bleeding.