Doctor Kelly Levasseur treats lots of playground injuries in the emergency room, she says the monkey bars are the number one culprit.
“Maybe one out of three kids that I see here comes in from some type of playground injury. Falls from monkey bars are probably the most common. Also, falls off of ladders, falls off of any type of climbing toys,” she said.
Doctors says picking playgrounds with age-appropriate equipment is key.
“If you have a preschooler, you want to make sure that the slides they’re going to go on aren’t more than four feet. You want to make sure that there’s tunnels that are on the ground instead of something that’s up high,” Levasseur said.
The ground covering is also important. Rubber or lots of woodchips can help cushion a fall.
“You want to stay away from playgrounds that have concrete or grass covering.”
Avoid playgrounds that have poorly maintained equipment including rusty bolts or sharp edges.
Close supervision can prevent lots of injuries but many caregivers are making a critical mistake.
“Playground injuries have gone up because more people are on their cell phones and they’re not paying attention to what their kids are doing and what equipment that they’re on,” she said.
Another common playground injury occurs when parents make the mistake of going down a slide with a small child on their lap.
Your child is much more likely to get hurt on your lap than on their own.