ATVs, trampolines, and riding in the front seat of a car under the age of 13 are things many pediatricians prohibit their children from doing for safety reasons. Kids are kids, and it’s normal for them to be attracted to anything fun.

But some extremely attractive activities these days carry risks that many pediatricians forbid their children.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), injuries are still the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the United States, and unfortunately, many of them are preventable.

What pediatricians forbid their children

Pediatricians, who are also parents, were asked what they would not allow their children to do because of the increased risk of injury or death.

Some of them you don’t even expect, but you will understand what the risk is:

hr3: 1. Until the age of 13, ride in the front seat of a car

According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury and death in the United States. Experts have said and repeat as many times as they have the opportunity to have a child insured for age in the back seat of a car. “It involves using the appropriate safety equipment for their age, height and weight — car seat, booster seat, seat belt,” says Dr. Brent Casini, MD, director of emergency medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital.

The development of the market for products for young children seems to have solved the problem of their dangerous car journeys. The situation is different when it comes to children of school or pre-adolescent age.

Over 4,000 children have died in car accidents in Europe over the past ten years. Not all is well even in Romania. 27 cases of minor victims per million inhabitants, taking, according to statistics, the first place in Europe in terms of the number of children killed in road accidents. But we see cases every day when adults keep babies in the front seat either because of ignorance, or because of fear, or simply because of ignorance of the law. In Romania, in 2015, they changed the law that determines when children can sit in the front seat.

According to Government Decree 11/2015, children are only allowed to sit in the front seat of a car after reaching a height of 135 centimeters and only if they are wearing an adult seat belt, adjusted so that it does not go over the neck or shoulder area. “Frontal airbags are very dangerous for children whose skeletons are still developing or who are not tall enough to occupy the front seat,” says Kathy Lockwood, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“Airbags can cause rib fractures, punctured lungs and head, neck and spine injuries,” the doctor added.

2. Jump on a trampoline if they are not yet 6 years old

Trampolines are great fun for kids, teens, and even some adults. While jumping and flipping on a trampoline can be fun, landing incorrectly can lead to serious and irreversible injuries.

Injuries can occur even if the trampoline has a net around it or even soft side walls. And even when parents are watching their children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has sounded the alarm about accidents that can happen on trampolines and how they happen.

Dr. Yi Tay, a pediatric emergency specialist at NYU Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, Langone, tells TODAY.com that trampolines in parks or at home in the backyard are a no-go for her children. “These trampolines cause a lot of accidents involving broken bones and orthopedic injuries,” says Tay, adding that most accidents involve children under the age of six (who have poor coordination and poor landing control), and also in situations where there are several children. on the same trampoline.

“This game is completely unpredictable … it depends on the weight of the kid, how hard they can jump, how high they can jump, if there’s another kid around … It’s just very unpredictable,” Tay says. Other injuries associated with trampolines include concussions and spinal injuries.

The trampoline ranks 24th in the list of the most dangerous objects according to the European Union.

The list was compiled on the basis of statistics collected over a long period of time after domestic accidents involving children. Although he sees a lot of injuries from trampoline jumping, Cazzini believes there are ways to do it safely. Trampolines that sit at ground level (those without legs that lift them off the ground) or trampolines that have non-enclosing nets are safer, but parents should still supervise children playing on trampolines.

The doctor believes that minimizing the number of children using the trampoline at the same time can reduce the risk of injury. “Also, parents should ensure that there is no significant difference in age or weight between children,” Kaziny adds. (The same goes for inflatables in parks.) The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons does not recommend trampolines for children under 6 years of age, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends their use only in supervised training programs for gymnastics or other sports.

3. Use ATVs up to 16 years old

Motorsport is becoming more and more popular all over the world. The number of road accidents due to their fault has also increased, especially involving ATVs. “My kids will never ride an ATV, and when I say that, I mean both driving and riding the ATV as a passenger,” Tay says, adding that ATVs are too big and powerful for kids.

Although no training or driver’s license is required to ride an ATV, for children the ATV carries other risks related to their inability to correctly judge speed or distance. “They step on them and press a pedal that makes them jump out from under them,” adds Dr Tay. From here, a few minutes pass before the rollover. Although ATVs exist in smaller sizes for children, the choice of purchase remains with the parents.

“The child gets a toy that is not suitable for his age in terms of size and strength, and his parents involve him in risky games,” the doctor adds. The AAP recommends using ATVs only after age 16. If parents decide to let their child ride an ATV, Kaziny recommends making sure the child wears a helmet or other protective gear and follows safety precautions.

4. To bathe without supervision

Drowning is another leading cause of death in children. “More children between the ages of 1 and 4 are dying from drowning, and drowning is the leading cause of death among children (according to the CDC),” Lockwood says, adding that it often occurs in swimming pools as well as bathtubs (especially among infants). .

Romania ranks third in Eurostat’s comparison of death rates across EU member states from accidental drowning and submersion, with 3.2 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, above the EU average.

“The statistics are based on the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and look at deaths from falling into a bathtub, swimming pool or natural water sources such as lakes, seas, rivers or streams. In order to make comparisons between countries, the number of deaths was standardized to take into account different sizes and ages,” explains Eurostat.

Experts encourage parents to teach children to swim as early as possible, but even after children have learned, parents must remain vigilant and set rules. “As children get older and learn to swim better, they gain more confidence, which can lead them to take more risks, such as moving away from an adult who is supervising them,” says Lockwood.

Therefore, it is important to remember that even though a child has learned to swim, he can accidentally drown. “I teach my kids from a young age that it is dangerous to swim unsupervised and that they should always be supervised by an adult while they are in the water,” Lockwood continues.

She emphasizes that parents should ensure that there is always a “spotter” who knows what to do and acts skillfully in the event of a drowning.

Even if kids swim in their own pool at home, experts warn that tragedies can happen. “It’s amazing how quickly a child can get into trouble if you’re not very careful,” says Kazini. He recommends that all home pools have child barriers, such as fences with closed gates.

5. Any sport without protective equipment

“I never let my kids ride bikes without a helmet,” Lockwood says.

And when he says wheels, he means bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller skates, and hoverboards. “Children have larger heads compared to their bodies, so they are more likely than adults to fall and hit their heads,” Lockwood explains. Injuries range from blows and lacerations to concussions and serious brain hemorrhages that cause permanent damage.

Tay agrees: “We see too many injuries in emergency rooms that are easily preventable with head protection. “Kids should also wear helmets when skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, horseback riding and water sports. “If there’s a helmet for these sports, I don’t see why you wouldn’t wear it,” Cazzini says.

Lockwood urges parents to remind their kids that no matter how good they are at sports, accidents don’t necessarily happen because of them, but because of other people. “And I set an example of good behavior by always wearing a helmet,” Kaziny adds.

6. Petting unfamiliar pets

We can prevent multiple emergency room visits by teaching children how to safely handle animals, especially those they don’t know. “We have a rule at home. If we see an animal that we want to interact with, let’s do it safely and in a controlled manner and make sure the owner is OK with it,” says Kazini.

Children, especially those who grow up with pets, may feel more confident when approaching unfamiliar animals, but Dr. Kazini recommends teaching children about boundaries with animals. For example, a child cannot kiss or hug another dog just because they are doing it with their own dog. “One of the most common injuries caused by animal contact with children is facial injuries,” Tay says, adding that such accidents most often occur when a child approaches an animal while it is eating.

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