Playgrounds: How Safe Are Your Kids?

Check your child before you get there
Remove anything that could pose a hazard – winter or summer clothes with drawstrings or scarves that could get caught in a piece of equipment.

And beware of any safety devices they may bring with them. Helmets and skipping ropes can be a hazard if they get caught in the wrong place.

Make sure they’re left behind before heading towards the slide or jungle gym.

At the same time, too few clothes can also be dangerous. Kids should never be allowed in a playground barefoot or without a shirt on.

Check it our first
How are the surfaces your child be landing on? Is it grass, wood, chips or hard cement? A soft surface or one lined with rubber will prevent the majority of injuries.

If you can’t find the right filling, make sure your child only uses the equipment that’s on or near ground level.

If the safer surface is available but not under the area where your kid wants to play (like a swing set), you can often push enough of it over to make a difference.

There should be at least 6-12 inches (or 15-20 centimetres) of layered material there to make it good enough to use.

Also keep in mind the weather conditions. The colder the ground, the harder it will feel if a kid falls on it. Close to 70 percent of all non-fatal injuries result from climbing devices, swing sets or slides.

Also check for:

  • handrails,
  • barriers,
  • sharp surfaces,
  • broken glass, and
  • narrow spaces where a tiny head can get stuck.

Supervision takes super vision
Every kid yells ‘Mommy watch me!’ at some point. In this case, making sure you do is essential.

Children between 5 and 9 years of age need to observe the rules about not pushing and shoving and taking their turns, and you have to make sure they’re using the equipment properly.

It only takes a second of inattention to result in an injury.

And never leave your kids alone at a playground. There should be adult supervision around at all times, and the younger they are, the closer you should be.

Remember their age
Kids who are younger than five are at the biggest risk for injury on the playground. They’re not always as well coordinated, their judgment isn’t as well developed and they’re less likely to understand the dangers.

If your five year-old (or younger) insists on visiting the playground:

  • Don’t let them go on anything that is five feet above the ground. (Five feet is about the average height an adult can reach if they get into trouble.)
  • Stand beside them and monitor what they’re up to.
  • Don’t let them talk you into using equipment designed for older children.

It’s not just the playground where kids are in danger. Here’s some other tips about ways they can avoid peril.

 

Bikes/Skateboards/Scooters: Make sure they’re wearing a helmet every time they ride.

Car Seat Safety: Make sure the seat is correctly installed and use it every time you take them anywhere.

Drowning: Stay with your kid in the water, especially if they’re under age 5.

Falls: Use baby gates to prevent disaster near the stairs.

Streets: Never let a child nine years of age or younger attempt to cross the street by themselves.

Medication: Keep everything up high and out of reach of curious toddlers. Insist on childproof caps and cabinet locks. Also know where the number for where your local poison information centre is. In Toronto, the 24 hour number is (416) 813-5900 or 1-800-268-9017.

Suffocation: Don’t give any child under four foods that could let them choke. Those include: nuts, carrots and popcorn. Also keep small toy pieces away from them.

Sources: Toronto Public Health & Region Of Peel, Safe Kids Canada

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