Preventing Your Kids from Playground Injuries

Posted by Delan Cooper
1
Feb 29, 2016
253 Views

Summer is the joyous time of year with warm weather and abundant sunshine. We can take advantage of this season to encourage our littles on to spend fun time outdoor. When children use playground equipment, you want to take an active role in supervising them. Because they will be excited to have you watch them, that may not be overly difficult. Before they start playing, however, check the playground for hazards that could be dangerous to them. For example, search for broken or rusted equipment. If you spot dangerous school playground equipment, report it to the local office.


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Awareness of the Dangers of Children's Playground Equipment

Teaching children that pushing and shoving on equipment can be dangerous could be one of the best decisions that you ever made. Before your child uses the playground, check to see that they have been dressed appropriately. For example, remove scarves, necklaces, purses and clothing that uses drawstrings. In general, you want to avoid clothing that has the potential for getting caught on equipment and causing strangulation. Even a helmet on the playground can be dangerous, so you want to save that for biking.


Separate the Age Groups

If you have big kids on the playground, you will want to separate them from children who are under the age of five because it can crowd the playing areas and cause injuries. Especially when the bigger children are playing games, you want to give them adequate room to play their games without the younger children getting in the way. Age appropriate play equipment for children becomes equally important. If you have a toddler who is just learning to walk, then you want them to have an easy surface. Normally around nine months old, your baby will have fairly good head control, and they can sit up without the need for much support. During this time, the bucket-shaped baby swing would be a great option.


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Non-impact Absorbing Surfaces —The Importance

You want to avoid playground that will not absorb impact from a fall. These surfaces include grass, dirt, gravel, concrete and asphalt. The recommended surface materials that are safer include:

  • Wood Chips

  • Sand

  • Pea Gravel

  • Rubber Mats

  • Synthetic Turf

  • Mulch


When looking at a playground slide, check to make sure that it sits in the shade or out of the sun. Metal slides and even plastic slides when placed directly in the sun can become extraordinarily hot. However, metal slides in particular can cause burns to a child's legs and hands. The slide should also have a hood or guardrail that requires the child to sit down when they are playing on the slide. Slides can be exceptionally dangerous, otherwise. If it is an open slide, you want it to have a minimum of four inch sides.


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How to Stay Safe When Swinging and Climbing

On either side of a swinging structure, you want fences to be a minimum of six feet away. In addition, you want a swing set to be anchored so that does not become a trip hazard. When it comes to the swing set itself, you want a minimum of 24 inches between each swing. To prevent falling, platforms that reach higher than 30 inches above the ground should have barriers or guardrails that prevent falling.


Conclusion

Responding to danger on the playground requires a proactive approach. You have to learn to look for hazards and safely avoid them. If your children will be playing on wooden childrens playground equipment, search it to make sure that it will be free of stuck out nails and splinters. Also, check to see that a qualified professional inspects and maintains the playground. Report hazards to the organization. While you may see it and save your child from it, another parent's child may not be as fortunate.


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