Playgrounds can be fun, dangerous

As a mother, I love to take my daughter to our local park and play on the swings and slides and dig in the sand together. But as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, I'm also aware of the inherent danger that playgrounds can pose to young children. It's not uncommon for us at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to have to treat children with serious fractures and head injuries caused by accidents at the playground—and many of them could have been prevented. Here are some important safety guidelines designed to prevent such accidents.

Supervision: I cannot emphasis enough the importance of adult supervision. It's fun to take a group of children to the park, but parents must remember that one adult can only watch two or three kids at one time. So, if you're going to the park with several children, make sure there are enough adults along to provide proper supervision. Parents should always stay where they have a clear view of all the kids at all times.

Playground Surface: Parents should always check the surface of the playground equipment before allowing children to play. The surface underneath the equipment should be soft and thick enough to cushion a child's fall. The best surface is clean, soft sand. Surfaces made from rubber are also good. Kids should never be allowed on play equipment placed on concrete, asphalt, blacktop or gravel. Make sure that there are no dangerous materials like broken glass or tree stumps on or around the surface near the equipment.

Climbing Equipment: Parents should make certain that all kids are using the playground equipment properly. Children should always sit on swings, not stand or kneel. And they should be careful not to run in front or back of moving swings. On slides, kids should always slide feet first, never head first. Climbing equipment, especially monkey bars, are the cause of many playground injuries. Children should be able to easily jump down from climbing equipment feet first, and they should always have enough distance from the person ahead of them to avoid being kicked by swinging feet.

Age Groups: Children have different abilities at different ages, and it's much safer for kids to play with others in their own age group. The equipment should also be ageappropriate. Children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old should only climb 5 feet high, and schoolage children should only climb 7 feet high.

Dogs: Parents should remind their children that dogs at the park have different personalities and they might not all be friendly. Children shouldn't run up to or pet dogs they don't know. Parents should also ensure that all dogs stay out of the kids' play area and, unless you're at a designated dog park, always keep your dog on a leash. It's important that you ask other adults to follow the rules of the park, too.

Necklaces: When you're ready to head to the park, parents should make sure their kids are not wearing necklaces or tied drawstring sweatshirts because necklaces or strings can get caught in the play equipment, causing serious injury. I have seen many tragic accidents caused by a simple necklace, so leave those at home.

Dr. Jennifer Weiss is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and a mother of a 2½-year-old daughter. She is also an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.