Sports offer so many benefits to kids, from fun and fitness to responsibility and teamwork skills. With sports also come bumps and bruises--and one type of injury requires much more than an ice pack or a band-aid. Head trauma is one of the most common injuries sustained by young athletes, with more than 60,000 concussions occurring each year in…

Playground safety in Australia has evolved from being an issue for parents, teachers, city engineers, and other generalists to an issue for specialists. This paper takes the position that the general community must become involved in playground planning, renovation, and maintenance. After presenting statistics on playground settings and playground…

Parents can take an active role in preventing children's injuries by educating themselves about playground safety. The article suggests that parents make a playground safety check; be sure the equipment is suitable for the age group in question; supervise appropriately; and know each child's capabilities. (SM)

The United States has a higher child mortality rate than most other industrialized countries, but most childhood injuries, although called "accidents," are the result of predictable and preventable behavior. This book demonstrates how teachers, parents, and caregivers can provide and maintain safe environments while teaching children how to avoid…

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons launched a national public education campaign focusing on the problem of injuries related to playground equipment. The article presents several of its recommendations for playground safety and provides instructions for obtaining a free brochure. (SM)

Provides suggestions to help parents select safe toys for children under five years, including assess breakability; investigate flammability; avoid electrical toys; avoid toys with sharp edges; watch for toys that might pinch; avoid small pieces; consider sound and vision; and think about appropriate themes. (SM)

The National Action Plan for the Prevention of Playground Injuries identifies four areas of playground risks that cause most playground injuries and deaths, including inappropriate equipment size for the age of the children, hard surfaces, inadequate supervision, and inadequate maintenance. Parents and school staff must become educated about these…

Correcting misperceptions regarding safety and emergency response is the first step toward reducing the incidence of injury to children. Some widely held misperceptions are identified and corrected. Topics include burns, poisoning, car safety, and falls. In addition to adult misperceptions, some common children's misperceptions are briefly listed.…

Suggestions to help parents keep their children safe from injury include learn first aid; child-proof the home; use carseats and safety belts; lock up medications, toxic materials, sharp instruments, and guns; block off stairways; install smoke alarms; insist on bike helmets; and put safety plugs in electric sockets. (SM)

This booklet outlines a comprehensive fire and burn injury prevention program which includes an instructor's manual, a videotape, and a test: the video provides additional information and examples of injury prevention techniques, and the test measures the amount of knowledge acquired. Following an introduction, the prevalence and extent of burn…

Injury is the leading health problem of children in the United States, though many of the injuries and deaths are predictable and preventable. The article presents a list of things parents can do to keep their children safe. (SM)

Guidelines to help parents explain traffic safety to children cover the following: school bus safety (e.g., remain seated, do not shout); walking (e.g., obey traffic signals, cross at crosswalks); driving (e.g., wear seatbelts, enter and exit from the curb side); and biking (e.g., wear helmets, do not ride at night). (SM)

This first aid manual teaches children to think wisely in an emergency and shows how to give first aid to themselves and others and to get help. An interactive format utilizes the adult as a child's helper and encourages the child to: (1) listen to a first aid situation as it is read by an adult; (2) look at an illustration and picture themselves…