Fall Safety

Every year older your child becomes the more likely they are to fall and hurt themselves. These falls can occur from just general clumsiness right through to falls from heights. It's a known statistic that every year a large number of children are taken to hospital due to falls and for the most part these falls can easily be prevented. Falls can happen to any age, but with some simple training and ideas, falls can also be easily prevented.
 
Preventing Falls
Here are a few ideas to make your home being less fall friendly

• Make all rugs and mats on your floor non-slip. For example you can place double sided tape or Velcro on the carpet with a rug, or get the special non-stick sheeting to place under bath mats in your bathroom
• Place a non-slip sticker or mate in your bath and shower
• Always pick up items on the floor that can easily be slipped or tripped on such as toys and shoes
• Make sure all stairs have adequate lighting in order to be able to see where you are walking
• All stairs should also have a sturdy railing and banister to hold on to when going down them as well as being non-slip and having gates already open so you don't have to step over them, potentially causing you to trip
• Make sure all hazards outside such as hoses and shoes are not placed in areas that you can easily trip over
• When it comes to windows, if they are up high so a child could easily climb out of it and hurt themselves, make sure you have protective openings so that a child can't easily open the window

 
Bunk Beds
A child will love their very own bunk bed as they get older but they are a large cause for falls from a great height. Some safe tips for using a bunk bed are:

• Don't let a child under the age of 6 sleep in the top bunk
• Don't let children use a bunk bed as a play area
• There should be no hanging parts on the bunk bed or areas such as gaps that a child could fall through
• Don't put a bunk bed near a window so that a child could fall through it
• Make sure all ladders and guard rails are secure and permanent on the structure
• All ladders should be easy to use and climb for the child
• Always check the bed regularly to for daily wear and tear and other damage

 

Playground
Your child will obviously love a trip to the playground, but there are of course plenty of opportunities for your child to fall from certain heights whilst playing. Take some of this advice on board:

• Make sure the design of the play equipment is safe and there is soft padding or a similar material on the ground should the child fall
• Only use play equipment that is adequately separated, so you won't have the sandpit near the swings or the slide in an area that is dangerous

Falls in different age categories
As a child gets older they will suffer falls from a wide variety of activities, depending on their age. The younger a child is the more they will want to explore, and the older the child is the more they will want to explore on their own. Here are a few examples:
 
0-5 years old:

• Falls from nursery furniture
• Stairs and balconies
• Playground equipment

 
Children of this age are top heavy so falls are more likely. As they get older and start to walk more they will no doubt be falling over constantly, especially when they start to explore more areas. To prevent falls you should:

• Use safer nursery furniture meeting Australian standards
• Follow instructions carefully when installing furniture
• Secure heavy furniture to prevent tipping
• Use 5 point harnesses to secure your children in high chairs
• Never leave the child when using a change table
• Place gates at the top and bottom of stairs
• Teach your children to work in soft areas so when they fall they won't hurt themselves
• Cover all sharp corners on furniture
• Supervise children all the time, especially on play equipment

 
6-14 years old:
You will generally find falls in this category will come from activities such as sport and leisure ones, but as the child grows older they will become more aware of how to deal with themselves in these situations. Children of this age become more adventurous and will start using bikes, skateboards and rollerblades and will even want to start playing all different types of sport. It's at this age they begin to get more independent so you should always make sure they are aware of how to be safe. Always make sure:

• Helmets are worn for activities such as bike riding and rollerblading
• Bikes are safe and not old and worn
• Your child wears protective sports equipment as required by the specific sport
• Trampolines are in a safe area and if possible contain a safety net

 
It's important to always keep an eye on your children when they have the potential to fall and you should always correctly supervise them if you think there could be potential for danger. Hopefully these steps will help prevent falls for you and your children in the future!