These top 5 causes of injuries for children and infants are listed below. The information was all obtained from reports of unintentional injury to children and infants.

1. Poisoning(e.g., drug overdoses)

Common poisoning causes are,

• Plants- house plants and outside plants
• Medicines-prescription and over the counter
• Cleaning agents-pod laundry soaps are concentrated
• Mushrooms- whether they grow on your lawn or the forest

Never put chemicals or poisons in another bottle.

In Ontario call the Poison control 1-800-268-9017   ^{1, 7}

2. Motor vehicle traffic ⁶

• Causes the most death of children than any other unintentional injury.
• Rates are higher in rural areas
• Seatbelts- Make sure your child is in the proper safety seat and belted properly. This can reduce significant injury up to 84%

3. Burns ²

• 75 % of infants and children are burned by scalds are preventable
• Hot water burns cause more injuries and deaths than any other hot liquids for Children> 3

4. Drowning ³

• Children between the ages of 0 and 9 years represented the largest proportion of drowning-related cases at 79%
• The majority (57%) of drownings occurred in swimming pools in both residential and public settings.
• children and infants aged 4 years or younger represent 49 % of drownings.
• 125 drowning-related cases occurred in bathtubs
• 80% involved children aged 1 year or younger.

5. Falls ⁵

• Windows, Porches and Balconies-Children as old as 5 years old can fit through a 15 cm (6”) opening, so lock your windows or use window stops.
• Stairs-use gates at the top and bottom of stairways and keep them closed
• Furniture- Children climbing up furniture can pull objects onto themselves, such as bookshelves.
• Strollers and shopping carts-use the straps provided and ensure they are tight enough.
• Playgrounds-Are the most dangerous for 5-9 years old that swing, climb and jump. Choose playgrounds that have soft ground to absorb impacts. Avoid grass, dirt, tar or gravel ground covering.

1. https://www.poison.org/poison-statistics-national
2. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/burns/burns-in-children
3. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/datalab/drowning-blog.html
4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/child-safety/art-20046124
5. https://parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/fall-prevention-for-children/
6. https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/child-injury/index.html
7. News | OPC (ontariopoisoncentre.ca)