Child Safety
Everyone has a role to play in keeping children safe at home, at play, and while travelling. There are things you can do to prevent children from being hurt.
Preventing falls
Falls are the number one cause of all childhood injuries. About five children under six years of age visit the emergency department every day in Waterloo Region due to injuries from falls.
Common ways children fall
- Falling off change tables, couches and beds
- Falling out of high chairs, strollers and baby seats when not buckled in
- Climbing on furniture
- Jumping on the bed, couch or other furniture
- Playing on the stairs
Falls are preventable. Supervision is the best prevention.
Tips on how to prevent falls in children
-
Hold, follow or watch young children at all times.
-
Watch your baby and always keep a hand on them when they are on a raised surface such as a change table, bed, sofa, or a counter at the doctor's office.
-
Always buckle up the safety straps on your baby’s stroller, high chair, change table, car seat, and baby seat.
-
Install a hardware mounted gate at the top of the stairs before your baby reaches four months of age. This is when some babies may start to crawl.
-
A pressure mount gate can be used at the bottom of stairs. Once your child’s chin is in line with the top of the gate or when they are two years old, the gate is no longer effective.
-
More tips
- Keep diapers and other supplies within arm’s reach when changing your baby’s diaper.
- Consider changing your baby on the floor.
- Always place your baby’s car or infant seat on the floor, never on a raised surface such as furniture.
- Do not let children climb or jump on furniture.
- Keep the floor clear of spills, toys, clothes, shoes, or loose rugs.
- Keep furniture away from windows.
- Use window stops and keep balcony doors locked.
For more information, visit:
- Parachute Canada - Child Injury Prevention (Ages 0-6)
- Healthy Canadians - Alerts and Recalls
- Home Safety for Young Children Checklist
- Keep me safe factsheet
Car seats and booster seats
Motor vehicle collisions remain a leading cause of unintentional injury and death for Canadian children, youth and young adults.
Drivers are responsible for all passengers under the age of 16. By Ontario law, infants and children must be buckled up in a car seat or booster seat made for their age, weight and height.
For a child to get the best protection from a car seat or booster seat:
- The seat has to be right for the age, height and weight of the child;
- The child must be properly harnessed into the seat; and
- The seat must be properly installed in the vehicle.
There are four stages of protection. The right stage for a child depends on their age, weight, and height.
| Stage 1: Rear-facing car seat |
| In a rear-facing car seat, the child is facing the back of the vehicle. Keep children rear-facing as long as possible to decrease the risk of head and spinal cord injuries.
There are two types of rear-facing car seats. This includes infant-only car seats and infant/child car seats. A rear-facing car seat provides better protection for growing bodies than a forward-facing car seat. Do not rush a child out of this stage. It is okay for their feet to touch the back of the vehicle seat. The harness:
The seat:
It is important to read and follow the car seat manual and vehicle owner's manual for proper installation and harnessing. Here's how to install an infant rear-facing car seat |
| Stage 2: Forward-facing car seat |
| In a forward-facing car seat, the child is facing the front of the vehicle. A child must be at least 1 year old, 10 kg (22 lbs.) and can walk unassisted to be in a forward-facing car seat.
Do not rush a child into a forward-facing car seat. Forward-facing car seats have a tether strap that must be fastened to the tether anchor in the vehicle. The tether strap limits how far the car seat will move in a sudden stop or crash. The harness:
The seat:
A child is safest in a forward-facing seat until they have outgrown the height or weight limits of their car seat. It is important to read and follow the car seat manual and vehicle owner's manual for proper installation and harnessing. Here's how to install a toddler forward-facing car seat |
|
Stage 3: Booster seats |
|
A booster seat raises the child up so that the vehicle lap and shoulder belts are positioned correctly on their body. A child must be at least 18 kg (40 lbs.) to sit in a booster seat. Do not rush a child into a booster seat. A child is safest when they use a booster seat until they are tall enough for the lap and shoulder belts to be positioned correctly on their body without the booster seat. This usually happens when a child reaches 4 ft. 9 in. tall (145 cm). The shoulder belt:
The lap belt:
It is important to read and follow the booster seat manual and vehicle owner's manual for proper installation. Here's how to install a child booster seat |
|
Stage 4: Seatbelts |
|
It is best to keep a child in a booster seat as long as possible. If a child has outgrown their booster seat, you must check that the seatbelt fits them correctly before switching to this stage. The safest place in the car for children is always in the back seat. Most cars have front seat air bags, and these can hurt children if the bags inflate during a crash or sudden stop. Children 12 years old and under should always be in the back seat. The shoulder belt:
The lap belt:
|
Buying a car seat or booster seat
| Before you buy |
|
| After you buy |
|
For more information about car seats, check the Child Car Seat Safety and Recalls and Safety Alerts pages on the Government of Canada website; and Parachute Canada - Car Seats website.
Contact Us