Childhood injuries

Every year, hospitals collect information on the number of injuries that are seen in their emergency rooms. Year after year, falls are the number one cause of injury in children birth to 6 years.¹

Why so many injuries?

Children grow and develop quickly during the first 6 years of life. How they move, learn and think is always changing. With each new stage of development comes a new challenge for parents and caregivers.

Supervision is the key to preventing injuries

Most of the literature available on injury prevention for young children focuses on safety-proofing homes and play areas. While this information is important, supervision is the key to preventing childhood injuries.

A new look at supervision

How many times have you read “supervision required” in the instruction booklets for toys and baby furniture or when you have been to a play area? Have you ever wondered what supervision means? Does it simply mean to watch a child or does it mean more? The answer is… it means more. There is more than one way to supervise children – you can use hold, follow or watch.

Hold: The parent or caregiver needs to be touching or holding the child. 

Follow: The parent or caregiver needs to stay close to the child - to be physically within arm’s reach of the child at all times. 

Watch: The parent or caregiver needs to be paying attention to what the child is doing. Watch means more than seeing. The parent or caregiver needs to teach the child safety rules, remind the child of the rules and watch the child to make sure the child is following the rules.

How to use Hold, Follow, Watch

All children are different. The way you need to supervise one child may be different from the way you need to supervise another child. Also, as the situation changes, the way you supervise a child may need to change too.

Here are five questions parents or caregivers can ask to help them decide when to use hold, follow or watch:

1. What can the child do
2. How active is the child?
3. How impulsive is the child?
4. How well does the child follow requests and rules?
5. How safe is the environment?

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has developed a booklet that explains how to use Hold, Follow, Watch in more detail.  

For a FREE booklet click here to download the

Hold, Follow, Watch booklet in PDF format

or call:

• Windsor-Essex County local calls: 519-258-2146 ext. 1340
• Long distance calls: 1-800-265-5822 ext. 1340

References:

• Canadian Institute for Health Information Bulletin. (2001). Pediatric Injury Hospitalizations in Canada, 1998/99 [On-line]. Available: http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/en/downloads/bl_ntr27apr2001_e.pdf
• Invest in Kids (2001). The years before five resource kit. Toronto, ON: Invst in Kids Foundation.
• Ontario Early Years. (2003). Keeping our children safe as they grow. Ottawa: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
• Safe Kids Canada. (2001e). Keeping your kids safe – You can prevent falls. Toronto, ON: Safe Kids Canada.