Playing it safe

Mon., May 22, 2006

Edward M. Eveld Kansas City Star

Playgrounds

• Surfaces should be soft and spongy, such as those available on newer public playgrounds or loose-fill material such as wood chips at 9- to 12-inches deep, often used on home playgrounds. When kids fall, hard surfaces increase injuries.

• Guardrails and barriers are needed on any platform higher than 30 inches.

• No openings between 3 1/2 inches and 9 inches. Such holes could trap a child's head.

• No jump ropes, pet leashes or cords of any kind should be used on playground equipment; youngsters get strangled.

• Children should remove bicycle and scooter helmets while on the playground; the straps get snagged and children get choked.

• Adults should supervise children through age 12.

• Look for playgrounds with separate structures for kids 2 to 5 and for those 6 to 12.

• Scan public playgrounds for loose screws, nails and debris.

• Teach playground etiquette; no pushing or roughhousing.

• Keep up maintenance on home playgrounds, checking for tight connections and wear.

Sources: Consumer Product Safety Commission; National Program for Playground Safety; Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City

Trampolines

• One person at a time on the trampoline.

• No somersaults; landing on the head or neck can cause devastating injuries.

• Shock-absorbing pad should cover the trampoline's frame, springs and hooks.

• Pads should be placed on the ground several feet around the trampoline.

• Trampoline must be placed away from structures, other play areas and overhead lines.

• No ladders or chairs should be used to get on the trampoline; they encourage use by younger children.

• No children younger than 6.

• Adults should supervise at all times, preferably two adult spotters.

• Netting may help reduce injuries but should not be used in place of adult supervision.

• Trampolines should not be used in the dark or when wet.

Sources: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Consumer Product Safety Commission

Scooters and skateboards

• Wear a helmet, which can prevent 85 percent of head injuries.

• Wear wrist guards to help prevent serious wrist injuries, plus elbow pads, kneepads and gloves.

• Avoid surfaces with gravel and loose dirt.

• Don't ride in the street or anywhere with traffic.

• No night riding.

• Especially for skateboarding, learn how to fall: Land on your fleshy parts, such as the bottom; roll in an attempt to avoid fractures; try to relax rather than stiffen when you hit the ground.

• Children 5 and younger shouldn't skateboard. Children 6 to 10 need supervision by an adult or a trusted adolescent.

• For scooters, children younger than 8 must be supervised by an adult.

Sources: Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.; Consumer Product Safety Commission; Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America

It’s getting warmer and sunnier, perfect for the kids to head outdoors to play.

That’s springtime to you and me. For emergency room doctors, it’s the start of another season.

“We actually have a name for it,” said Denise Dowd, chief of the injury prevention section at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.

“Trauma season.”

Starting now and increasing as the school year winds down, youngsters play harder. That means injuries. The number of visits to hospital emergency rooms shoots up.

Often enough kids are getting hurt on equipment designed for fun. And yes, many of the injuries, usually of the orthopedic variety, can be avoided.

Each year, about 205,000 youngsters in the U.S. take a trip to the emergency room after a fun time on the playground goes awry. Playground safety experts say parents should go over safety guidelines with their youngsters this time of year and check their backyard equipment for hazards.

“Some parents seem to think it’s a rite of passage for young people to get injured,” said Donna Thompson, executive director of the National Program for Playground Safety. “We don’t believe that at all.”

The continued popularity of nonmotorized scooters, which may seem innocuous enough, along with in-line skates and skateboards, helps to keep emergency rooms busy. Another 200,000 emergency room visits can be attributed to these unpowered toys with wheels.

Head injuries are very dangerous, of course, and helmets are the best way to help prevent them, Dowd said. Most people are now aware that bike-riders should wear helmets, but the same is true when youngsters ride anything with wheels, she said.

Another important injury preventer: wrist guards.

“They’ll fall on an outstretched arm or hand and pretty typically fracture a wrist,” she said. “But if you have a wrist guard on, it absolutely reduces injuries.”

And although backyard trampolines seem to be a fact of life in many neighborhoods, health professionals are so distraught by the injuries they cause — the number and severity — many have a message for parents: Remove the trampoline, right now. About 90,000 trampoline-related injuries send kids to the emergency department every year.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against the use of home trampolines, and we stand by that,” Dowd said. “We see neck injuries, really terrible injuries. Most of the time the injuries occur when more than one kid is jumping.”

Beside trampolines, Dowd has worries about ATVs, motorized all-terrain vehicles, because young children are riding them and getting seriously injured. “These things turn over,” Dowd said. “The consequences are very serious. They’re crushing injuries. Kids don’t have the maturity to operate them safely, not just physically but judgment-wise. If you’re not 16, you should not be riding one.”

If avoiding trips to the emergency room is one of your goals this warm weather season, take a look at the recommendations, which cover playgrounds, scooters and trampolines. If you let your grade-schooler ride an ATV, you’re on your own.