Pediatric Safety & Injury Prevention

Unintentional injury is a leading cause of death and disability in children, and prevention teaching is developmentally targeted, since risks shift dramatically as a child grows. Car seat safety follows an age/size progression: rear-facing car seats for infants and toddlers (used as long as possible, per the seat's height/weight limits, not switched to forward-facing simply because a child reaches a particular age milestone), forward-facing seats with a harness for older toddlers/preschoolers, and belt-positioning booster seats for school-age children until the vehicle's seatbelt fits properly on its own — teaching families that these transition points are guided by the child's size, not a fixed age, is a frequently tested point. For infant sleep safety, the "back to sleep" position (placing infants on their backs for every sleep) alongside a firm sleep surface and an empty crib (no loose blankets, pillows, or soft toys) reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).