Falls

Falls are the most common type of accident in the home, accounting for 44% of all childhood injuries.

About 10 children in the UK die each year as a result of falling from balconies, windows and stairs. For babies, the biggest danger is rolling off the edge of a table, bed or sofa.

Toddlers quickly learn how to climb and explore and it's very easy for them to fall off a piece of furniture, down stairs or out of a window or balcony.

• Make sure your baby cannot roll off the changing surface.
• Don't put a bouncing cradle or similar piece of equipment on a table or worktop - they can easily bounce off the edge.
• Fit restrictors to upstairs windows so they cannot be opened more than 10cm.
• Keep chairs and other climbing objects away from windows and balconies.
• Fit safety gates approved by British Standards (BS EN 1930:2000) at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Don't leave anything on the stairs that might cause someone to fall over, and ensure there is enough light on the stairs.
• Check that a child could not crawl through any banisters at the top of the stairs. Board them up if there's a risk of your child falling through them or getting stuck.
• Keep balcony doors locked to prevent your child from going on to it alone - if it has railings your child could climb through, board them up or fit wire netting as a guard.
• Secure any furniture and kitchen appliances to the wall if there's a risk they could be pulled over. 

Last updated: 01 May 2015