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With one of the busiest pediatric emergency programs in the nation and more than 80,000 pediatric emergency room visits last year, you can trust that we've treated just about everything. We love kids here at Children's. But we'd rather see them safe at home. That's why we've gathered safety and injury-prevention tips from our very own experts. Share these tips with your kids and print them to share at their schools or with your friends. Together, we can make safe simple.

What You Should Know

atvsafety2Simple steps to prevent ATV injuries

Children under 16 years old operating a full-size ATV are four times more likely to experience an injury requiring an emergency department visit.

ATV Injury Facts

  • ATV injuries commonly occur from rollover crashes, collisions with stationary objects and falling off the ATV. 
  • The majority of fatalities result from injuries to the head and neck. 
  • Non-fatal injuries commonly include broken bones and head injuries.

Keys to ATV Safety

  • Always wear a helmet with eye protection and other protective clothing, including long-sleeve shirts, long pants, ankle boots and gloves. 
  • Chose the ATV that is the right size for the operator’s age.
  • Always follow the ATV manufacturer’s minimum age requirements warning labels.

Reduce the risk of ATV injury to children.

  • Be aware of and enforce manufacturer’s warning labels including minimum age requirements and single rider.
  •  Never allow anyone under 16 years old to operate a full size ATV. 
  • Always supervise children under 16 years old on ATVs. 
  • Operate ATVs on only trails and at an appropriate speed. 
  • Be a good example -- always demonstrate safe riding behavior and always wear proper protective equipment and clothing.

Every rider should take a hands-on rider safety course.

What You Should Know

Car Seat SafetyHow to use your car seat correctly

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death to children. According to Safe Kids USA, an estimated 2,446 children ages 14 years and under die in motor vehicle crashes each year. Thankfully, there are many things you can do to reduce the risk of injury in a car crash -- one of them is as easy as being a good example. Always use your seat belt.

Rear-facing Car Seat tips

  • Rear-facing child seats should be used for infants as long as possible -- up to the height or weight limit specified by the seat manufacturer. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children ride rear-facing until at least two years old. Be sure to check your specific seat for height and weight limits. 
  • Read the car seat and vehicle owners’ manuals to ensure the seat is installed properly. 
  • Position the harness straps so they are at or below the child’s shoulders. 
  • Make sure the harness straps are buckled, properly positioned, and snug. 
  • Make sure the chest clip is at armpit level. 
  • If installed properly, the car seat should not move more than one inch in any direction. 
  • Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. 
  • Children are always safest in the back seat.

Forward-facing Car Seat Tips

  • Forward-facing car seats should be used once a child has reached the maximum weight or height limit of a rear-facing seat. 
  • Use a forward-facing carseat with a harness until the child reaches the height or weight limits specified by the seat’s manufacturer before transitioning into a booster seat. 
  • Read the car seat and vehicle owners’ manuals to ensure the seat is installed properly. 
  • Position harness straps so they are at or above the child’s shoulders. 
  • Some convertible seats require the use of top slots when the seat is forward-facing; be sure to read the car seat manual carefully. 
  • Make sure the harness straps are buckled, properly positioned, and snug. 
  • Make sure the chest clip is at armpit level. 
  • If installed properly, the car seat should not move more than one inch in any direction. 

Booster Seat Tips

  • Booster seats should be used for children once they have outgrown the forward-facing car seat. 
  • Use a belt positioning booster seat until the child reaches a height of 4 feet 9 inches and is between 8 and 12 years of age. 
  • Use a booster seat with the vehicle lap AND shoulder belt. Be sure the seat belt is properly buckled. 
  • Never place the shoulder belt under the child’s arm or behind the child’s back. 
  • Use a booster seat correctly in a back seat every time your child rides in a vehicle. 
  • Children should ride in the back seat away from airbags until they are 13 years old.

What You Should Know

Playground SafetyKeep your kids safe at the playground

More than two million emergency department visits a year are related to childhood falls. Thankfully, many falls can be prevented. Prevention is not difficult. It does require your attention and some effort. Supervision is the most important thing you can do to prevent childhood injuries.

General

  • Never leave babies unsupervised on any piece of furniture including changing tables, beds, and sofas. 
  • Use safety straps and other safety features on high chairs, shopping carts, and changing tables. 
  • Use safety covers or install padding on sharp corners. 
  • Use stationary “walkers” instead of wheeled walkers. 
  • Be sure televisions and other heavy furniture are stable and secure to prevent tipping. 
  • Use safety gates to keep young children away from stairs. 
  • Don’t place toys or items that attract children on top of furniture. 
  • Make sure stairs are clear of toys and other objects.

Windows

  • Install window guards on all windows above the first floor. 
  • Do not rely on window screens to keep children from falling out.

Playgrounds

  • Always supervise children at playgrounds. 
  • Make sure playground equipment is age appropriate. Since 1994, manufacturers are required to have a sticker placed on each piece of equipment indicating the appropriate age group for which it was designed. 
  • Be sure surfaces under playground equipment are soft enough to absorb falls. 
  • Make sure equipment is specifically designed for playground use.

What You Should Know

household-safetyDid you know that injuries are a leading cause of death in children? Each year 5,000 children die and another six million are hurt as a result of unintentional injuries. One in four children is hurt seriously enough to need medical attention. Most childhood injuries occur at home and many of these injuries could be prevented.

Falls

  • Never leave babies unsupervised on any piece of furniture including changing tables, beds, and sofas. 
  • Use safety straps and other safety features on high chairs, shopping carts, and changing tables. 
  • Use safety covers or install padding on sharp corners. 
  • Install window guards on all windows above the first floor. 
  • Do not rely on window screens to keep children from falling out.

Poisoning

  • Review the poison prevention home checklist from the Minnesota Regional Poison Center at www.mnpoison.org. 
  • Keep all potential poisons up high and out of the reach of children -- preferably in a locked storage container. 
  • Keep medications and vitamins out of the reach of children. 
  • Keep products in original containers. Do not use food storage containers to store poisonous substances (i.e. plant food in a drink bottle). 
  • Identify all household plants to determine if poisonous. 
  • Post the Poison Center phone number, 800-222-1222, near each phone in the home.

Burns

  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. 
  • Set your water heater to 120 degrees. 
  • Cover any unused outlets. 
  • Install barriers around fireplaces and furnaces. 
  • Always supervise young children in the kitchen and around electrical appliances and outlets.

Choking, Suffocation, and Strangulation

  • Keep small objects out of reach of young children. 
  • Do not let children under age 3 eat small, round, or hard foods including hot dogs, hard candy, nuts, or whole grapes. 
  • Buy only age appropriate toys for your toddler. 
  • Do not allow infants or toddlers to sleep on sofas, chairs, regular beds or other soft surfaces. 
  • Never allow young children to play in poorly ventilated spaces such as laundry machines, car trunks, or toy chests. 
  • Install only cordless window coverings.

What You Should Know

Car Seat SafetyHow to use helmets to keep your kids safe

Each year more than 175,000 children are treated in emergency departments for skating, non-motorized scooter, and skateboarding injuries. Thankfully, proper use of the appropriate helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent.

It is estimated that as many as 75 percent of bicycle-related fatalities among children could be prevented with a bicycle helmet. Prevention is not difficult. It does require your attention and some effort.

Helmet Tips

  • Make it a rule – wear a helmet every time you ride bike, skateboard, ride a scooter, or in-line skate.
  • Always wear the appropriate helmet for the activity. A multi-sport helmet is a good option for children who bike, skateboard, in-line skate, and ride non-motorized scooters.
  • Helmets should be worn every time and everywhere when participating in wheeled sports.
  • To provide proper protection, a helmet should sit level on the head, not tilted back at an angle. Make sure the helmet fits snugly, and the chinstrap is buckled.

Rules of the Road

  • Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, not against.
  • Use appropriate hand signals.
  • Obey traffic signals, stop at all stop signs and stop lights.
  • Stop, look left, right, left again before entering a street or crossing an intersection.

Other Safety Tips

  • Children should not ride when it's dark outside.
  • Wear clothes and accessories that have reflective materials to make sure you are seen.
  • Ensure proper bike fit. When seated on the bike, the child's feet should be able to touch the ground.
  • Make sure equipment is properly maintained and in working condition.
  • Always model and teach safe behavior.

Trauma Services

With one of the busiest pediatric emergency programs in the country, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota cares for pediatric patients from time of injury through rehabilitation. Children’s pediatric trauma services has broad experience and the expertise to treat a wide range of trauma cases in facilities that cater exclusively to the needs of children.

  • Exclusively pediatric designated level III trauma center
  • More than 80,000 pediatric emergency department visits per year
  • The seventh busiest pediatric emergency departments (Minneapolis/ St. Paul) in the nation
  • 24/7 coverage of board-certified pediatric intensivists
  • 40 pediatric emergency department physicians
  • 32 pediatric intensive care unit beds
  • 20 step-down pediatric intensive care unit beds
  • 127 neonatal intensive care unit beds
  • More than 20,000 surgical cases per year
  • Pediatric specific rehabilitation services
  • Active in pediatric research
  • Pediatric and young adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for severe lung injury

UnitedHealthcare gives Children's $17.5 million gift to enhance trauma care

Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota announced a $17.5 million philanthropic gift from Minnetonka-based UnitedHealthcare – the largest single gift Children’s has ever received. This gift will enhance trauma care for children across the region by supporting the creation of a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center at Children’s of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus. It also will fund a significant part of the newly expanded UnitedHealthcare Pediatric Emergency Department at Children’s in Minneapolis. Watch the video at right to learn more about how this gift will impact the community.

Pediatric Trauma Services

Children’s pediatric trauma services offers continuous coverage by board-certified pediatric intensivists and has 40 pediatric emergency department physicians. Among the diagnoses treated by Children’s pediatric trauma services are:

Intra-thoracic trauma

  • Vascular injuries
  • Pulmonary injuries
  • Cardiac contusions

Head injuries

  • Concussions
  • Stroke
  • Hemorrhages

Neck trauma

  • Penetrating injuries
  • Tracheal Injuries

Skeletal trauma

  • Fractures
  • Femur fractures
  • Spinal injuries
  • Facial fractures
  • Facial trauma

Intra-abdominal trauma

  • Splenic injuries
  • Hepatic injuries
  • Complex pancreatic injuries
  • Bowel injuries

Making Safe Simple

We love kids here at Children's. But we'd rather see them safe at home. That's why we've gathered safety and injury-prevention tips from our very own experts. Share these tips with your kids and print them to share at their schools or with your friends. Together, we can make safe simple.

Find ways to keep your kids safe at home, at play and on the way on our Making Safe Simple pages.