Toddler Falls from Cribs Injure Dozens Per Day

Every parent dreads the day when their toddler finally learns how to climb out of the crib. There's no avoiding it because every toddler learns this method of escape sooner or later. Most often, when toddlers learn how to find their freedom from their crib parents dread chasing the child down night after night, and bedtime becomes much harder as you have to keep placing your toddler back into the crib. As toddlers become pros at escaping, their safety becomes threatened, even their lives. Dozens of toddlers under the age of two are injured every day in falls from cribs.

It's nearly impossible to stop your toddler from climbing out of their crib. The more mobile they become, the sooner they will learn how to escape from their crib. It's impossible to watch your child in their crib every second, and sadly, this is when the most fall from crib injuries occur. In fact, 9 out of 10 falls occur while toddlers are left unsupervised. And, of the injuries sustained from the falls, most occur to the head and neck. Injuries to the head and neck can be quite serious, even life threatening.

Crib Fall Injuries

Recently, a study published in the Journal Pediatrics concluded there were 181,654 crib fall related injuries from playpens, bassinets and cribs between 1990 and 2008. Sadly, of these children, 2,140 cases ended up fatal, most often the result of the child becoming caught or wedged in the crib. Due to these alarming numbers, there are new mandatory safety standards for cribs, which include the ban of drop-side railings.

Crib fall injuries occur very quickly and usually when the caregivers least expect it. Toddlers learn how to climb out of their cribs very quickly. One day they may only be standing at the rail and the next day they may have mastered the skill of escaping. Therefore, it's essential preventative steps are taken to reduce the risk of your child climbing out of the crib and lessening the severity of injuries that can occur should they fall.

Prevention

To reduce the chance your toddler will be able to climb out of their crib, make sure the mattress is adjusted to the lowest level as soon as the child is able to stand up. Keep the crib away from dressers and other furniture that can be used as a step to aid the child in climbing. Keep all toy boxes, toys and any other object away from the crib. The area surrounding the crib should be open incase the child does climb over the rail and fall, they won't fall on anything, reducing the risk for serious injuries.

References:

"Childhood: Falls From Cribs Injure Dozens a Day" NYTimes
"Injuries Associated with Cribs" Pediatrics