From a curious crawling infant to an unsteady, teetering toddler, stairs pose a serious danger to kids. New research shows that a child younger than 5 years old is treated on average every 6 minutes in a US emergency department for a stair related injury. For children under 1 years old, being carried down the stairs accounts for over a quarter of their stair injuries.
Dr. Gary A. Smith, director of the center for injury research and policy for Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found that from 1999 to 2008 there were 932,000 kids under 5 hurt on the stairs. 95% of these accidents were at home and three-quarters of kids hurt on stairs suffered injuries to the head and neck.
According to MSNBC, Some of the danger factors are baby walkers, kids riding things down the stairs, and slips made by the child or parent. Some stairs have uneven lengths of steps which can create a hazard for a parent carrying a child. Chunky railings that are difficult for a child or adult to grasp is another concern. If you use a baby gate, make sure that it is mounted properly into the wall to avoid being knocked over by a curious child.
As often as we use the stairs in our home, it’s no surprise that they would pose a risk but there are some ways to make your stairs safer for the family.
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