How dangerous is your child’s playground? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200,000 children younger than 15 years of age are injured on the playground every year, and almost half of those injuries are very serious.

Serious playground injuries include fractures, internal injuries, head injuries, dislocated limbs and fingers, and amputations. Most injuries occur on public playgrounds at schools and daycare centers, and children who climb are most likely to get injured.
 
So how can you keep your child safe? The first step is to talk to them about safety rules on the playground, and the next step is to make sure those rules are being enforced by you, your spouse, a teacher, or another care provider.
 
Safety rules to talk to your child about include:
  • Walking, not running, on slippery surfaces
  • No rough-housing or aggressive playing
  • Not climbing higher than five to seven feet
  • Not wearing loose clothing or clothing with strings that can get caught
  • Listening to parents or teachers
  • Calling for help immediately if someone is injured
Talk to your child’s teacher or babysitter about checking to make sure there are no safety hazards on playgrounds, like broken equipment, concrete fall zones, extremely high slides, etc. The caregiver should also know first aid and carry a cell phone to call 911. It is also important that younger children play separately from older children so they don’t get pushed off of slides or climbing equipment. 
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