Playground Safety 101

The playground is simultaneously every parent’s best friend and worst nightmare. While playing on the playground is a great way to get your youngster’s energy out, it’s also how more than 200,000 kids a year end up in the ER with injuries that require emergency care.

There are a few things you can do to help reduce your child’s risk for a playground-related injury.

Never leave children at play unsupervised, whether in the playground or your yard.

“When it comes to playground safety, adult supervision is key,” says Kimberly Daubert, CRNP, with LVPG Pediatrics and Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital. “Not only can adults help prevent injuries by making sure kids properly use playground equipment, but if an injury does occur, they can help the child and provide any first aid necessary.”

Before letting your child loose on the playground, do a quick visual survey of the playground, looking for any trash or debris that can cause injuries, such as broken glass or metal cans.

Perform an equipment spot-check to make sure equipment is secure, looking out for cracks, bends, warps, sharp edges, rust or breaks in the equipment. If the equipment is made of wood, check for any protruding nails or splinters in areas where your child might step, grab or slide. Because metal playground equipment can get incredibly hot in the sun, you should touch any spots that could potentially cause burns to make sure they’re at a comfortable temperature.

Kids must know how to be safe and act responsibly at the playground. That means:

• Never pushing or roughhousing while on jungle gyms, slides, seesaws, swings and other equipment.
• Always checking to make sure no other kids are in the way before jumping off equipment or the slide and landing on both feet with the knees slightly bent.
• Steering clear of wet playground equipment because moisture makes the surfaces slippery.
• Wearing appropriate playground clothing, avoiding clothes with drawstrings or cords. Also, be cautious of loose strings on clothing as these strings can get snagged on playground equipment and ropes or chains (like those used for swings) and may wrap around a child’s neck and cause choking.
• Taking regular breaks from playing to get a few sips of water or a snack.

Swings, slides and climbing equipment are where the most playground injuries occur. However, by following a few guidelines, kids can enjoy these playground favorites safely.

When playing on the swings, kids should:

• Always sit in the swing, not stand or kneel.
• Hold on tightly with both hands while swinging.
• Stop the swing completely before getting off when they are finished swinging.
• Stay a safe distance from other kids on swings, being careful to not run or walk in front of or behind moving swings.
• Never ride with more than one child to a swing because swings are designed to safely hold only one person.

When playing on the slide, kids should:

• Always slide down feet-first and sitting up, never headfirst or on their back or stomach.
• Always check that the bottom of the slide is clear before sliding down.
• Get off the slide once they reach the bottom and move away from the end of the slide so it's clear for other kids to slide down.
• Never ride down the slide on someone else’s lap.

When playing on climbing equipment, kids should:

• Be aware of a safe way down in case they can't complete the climb.
• Use both hands while climbing.
• Stay well behind the person in front of them.
• Beware of swinging feet.