Young boy playing on the playground

Mar 03, 2022 / Fractures

Playground Safety Tips From Our Fracture Clinic Experts

Free play and playground time is becoming more valuable to our overscheduled children. We want to share some of our experience by giving you some suggestions to keep these moments as safe as possible. Our Fracture Clinic pediatric nurse practitioner, Ray Kleposki, M.S.N., CPNP, tells us that young kids playing on equipment that is not designed with them in mind greatly increases risk for injuries, including broken bones.

Supervision is very important, but even well-meaning caregivers are not familiar with all the injury risks on a playground. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission in their Public Playground Safety Handbook recommends appropriate equipment and practices for public playgrounds. Ray says to “start with choosing a playground that is right for your child’s age.”

Choose playgrounds that provide:

  • A separate play area for very young children.
  • Rubber or mulch-type surfaces, not solid like asphalt or grass.
  • Surfaces that extend well beyond the play area of each piece of equipment.
  • Equipment in good repair.
  • Guardrails to prevent falls from heights greater than the child’s own height.

Lessons to teach your child about playground safety:

  • Never push or roughhouse.
  • Slide feet first and slide one at a time.
  • Watch for friends before sliding or jumping.
  • Don’t climb outside of guardrails.
  • When jumping, land on both feet.
  • Don’t play on equipment when it is wet.
  • Follow instructions from supervisors.

Learn more about our Fracture Clinic. 

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