Seeing your child, or any child, get injured can be traumatic for both you and the child. The effects of which can follow the child for the rest of their life. If you have a child and want to do your best to avoid them getting injured, you should know the most common injuries faced by children. This will help you to prepare and fight against them.
Falling
Unintentional falls are the most common causes for unintentional injuries resulting in emergency room visits, with an estimated 1.64 million cases reported in 2017. Falls are never completely unavoidable, as children are going to stumble as they’re learning to walk and the Earth isn’t a completely smooth sphere. The best way to keep your child safe from injuring themself is by taking note of the unguarded ledges of your surroundings and keeping a close eye on your child. If your child gets seriously injured from a fall in and area that was meant to be protected you may be able to claim for damages on behalf of your child.
Unintentional Struck by/Against
If your child is accidentally hit it can be hard to know what to do. Over 850,000 children were hospitalized due to being struck accidentally in 2017, some of which could have been avoided. The best way to avoid having you child be hit accidentally is to avoid situations that might involve erratic activities, such as group sports with participants older and/or larger than your child. If they do participate in such activities, make sure to watch that they don’t get out of hand.
Bite/Sting (Not Dog)
Animal bites and stings are extremely common, with 298,000 children being hospitalized for them in 2017. These can sometimes be difficult to avoid; bees sting, animals bite. The best way to keep your child from getting bit is through education. Teach your child to respect and observe animals from a distance. The lesson is consistent with bugs, for the most part. Bees generally don’t want anything to do with people and teaching your child to remain calm in their presence will drastically reduce their risk of getting stung.
Overexertion
Overexertion occurs when a child is pushed physically beyond their limit. This could be due to exhaustion, hunger, dehydration, or all of the above. Overexertion can take the form of extreme fatigue, losing consciousness, decreased cognitive function, and simple inability to function. Sports and video games area common causes of overexertion in children, meaning it can be avoided with observation and making sure your child is sufficiently rested, fed, and is not trying to do things like lift heavy boxes.
Cut/Pierce
Being accidentally cut or pierced is a risk of being a child, and 213,000 children were sent to the emergency room with related injuries. Similar to bites and stings, the best way to avoid injuries is through education. Teach your child knife and blade safety (this doesn’t mean giving your child a knife, just teaching them things like not taking food off a cutting board while cutting is still happening). Removing the mystery from dangerous objects helps to lower the desire to interact with the objects. Beyond education, keep sharp objects away from young children. Install child-locks on knife drawers and tool boxes. If you see your child(ren) playing with a sharp object, remove it and explain why its a bad thing to play with.
Foreign Body
If your child is hospitalized due to a foreign body, they probably found something to interact with that was smaller than it should have been. These injuries are most common with young children between the ages of 0 and 3, and the objects are often common household items such as coins, marbles, or jewelry. The main way to avoid these injuries is to keep a close eye on your child and pay attention to what they’re putting in their mouths and other orifices. Keep coins and jewelry on high shelves and make sure to buy child-safe toys.
Motor Vehicle Occupant
One of the scarier injuries children may face are as a result of being passengers in a car. Car accidents can happen at no fault of your own and be devastating for everyone involved. The best way to keep your child safe while they’re in the car is by following the CDC suggestions for restraints and by always driving safe. Seatbelts and other child restraints save countless lives annually, and the best way to teach a child the importance of buckling up every time is through example.
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