Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Parents in Homestead spend a lot of time worrying about their child’s diet. If you have a small child, though, you will also want to consider how they are sitting down to eat. According to a new study published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics, accidents and injuries involving high chairs have been increasing over the past decade.
According to the study, about 9,500 high chair injuries each year require emergency room treatment. Most of these injuries involve children who climb the chair or stand in the chair and therefore fall from it. Since these chairs are higher than kitchen chairs and since flooring in dining areas and kitchens tends to be hard surface, children are likely to suffer from head injuries and facial injuries from these types of falls.
The study also concluded that children have a center of gravity that is closer to their chest, which can increase the likelihood of landing on their heads in a fall. In fact, the study’s authors found that three out of ten children who suffered a high-chair related injury suffered a facial injury while six out of ten experienced a neck or head injury.
The authors concluded that there are several things that parents can do to prevent these types of child injuries in Homestead and other communities:
1) Use safety restraints wisely. In many of the cases that the study authors examined, children were hurt in chairs where the safety restrains were not used properly or where the restraints were not working correctly. Use safety restrains each time, and put them in place before lowering the tray. The tray itself does not act as a restraint or safety measure.
2) Choose the right chair. Buy high chairs used, since you are less likely to be affected by wear and tear, recalls, or outdated safety measures with a new chair. Check online to see whether the manufacturer has a good safety rating or whether the manufacturer has had products liability claims in Homestead or other cities filed against them. When choosing a chair, choose one that meets the weight requirements for your child. If your child is too large for the chair, they can easily topple the chair and if they are too small, they can easily slip through the safety devices.
3) Place the chair on level ground. Also, position it in such a way that it will not be bumped by others in the kitchen or dining area. Avoid placing the chair near items that may attract the child and cause him or her to try to reach out of the chair.
4) Do not leave high chairs unsupervised. These chairs, by their very design, are heavy. Do not leave a child alone for even a minute in them. In many cases, head injuries in Homestead and other cities occur in seconds, so even a second of inattention is a second too long. Even when your child is not in the chair, consider it storing out of your child’s reach so that they do not attempt to climb it.
Has your child suffered an injury due to a high chair, unsafe toy, car seat, or some other product? Contact Flaxman Law Group to explore all the legal remedies you may have to protect your child’s future.