A preventative approach is the best way to deal with head injuries since most brain injuries are predictable and preventable. The following measures are mandatory in Ontario and other provinces in Canada.
- Always secure your child in a child safety seat, booster seat or seatbelt while in the car.
- Make sure your child wears a helmet when riding on a motorcycle or bicycle.
Always wear a helmet during sports and activities
Make sure your child is wearing a helmet when:
- riding a bike, snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle
- playing a contact sport such as football, ice hockey or boxing
- using in-line skates or riding a skateboard
- riding scooters or anything with wheels, including e-scooters and e-bicycles
- batting and running bases in baseball or softball
- riding a horse
- skiing or snowboarding
- tobogganing down a hill
Different activities require different helmets. Each helmet is designed and tested for the specific conditions of an activity (e.g., speed, temperature, repetitive falls) to protect your child’s head from impact. The helmet your child wears should be specific to the activity they are doing. For example, your child should wear a bicycle helmet when riding a bike, but a hockey helmet when skating.
Depending on your child’s sport, you can work with their coach(es) to ensure they are taught how to play safely and have access to the necessary safety equipment. If your child is enrolled in organized sports, you can also ask if the referees and coaches are trained to recognize, monitor and treat head injuries.
Car safety
Transportation related injuries are the second largest cause of injury and third leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in Canada. When transporting children, it is important to follow local laws around seatbelt, child safety seat, and motorcycle and bicycle helmet use.
Car seat regulations
- Infants and children must be rear facing until a minimum of 10 kg (22 lbs).
- Children must use a car seat until a minimum of 18 kg (40 lbs).
- Children must use a booster seat until they are 145 cm (4 feet, 9 inches tall) OR 36 kg (80 lbs) OR 8 years of age.
- Once your child is over at least one of the requirements above, they can use a seatbelt alone.
Each province may have different regulations and recommendations. For car seat and booster seat legislation in each province and territory, please see Parachute’s Car Seat and Booster Seat Canadian Legislation Chart. See Car seat safety for infants and children for additional car seat safety tips.
Seatbelts and car headrests
Your child can use a seatbelt alone when they reach the age, weight, or height limits set by your province/territory. The driver of the vehicle is responsible for ensuring children are properly secured in their vehicle.
It is safest to keep your child in a booster seat for as long as possible. You may move your child to using just the seatbelt when they can sit comfortably in the vehicle with their knees bent over the edge of the seat, and have the seatbelt fit across their hips and shoulders. For the seatbelt to work properly and to keep your child safe, it must be worn correctly. Do not let your child wear their seatbelt behind their shoulder and remind them to sit up straight in the vehicle.
To protect their head and neck in the event of a sudden stop, ensure the headrest is adjusted properly for their height.
Children and airbags
Children under the age of 13 are safest in the backseat, away from active airbags. Airbags are not designed for the smaller bodies of children and can result in head injury if children are sitting in the front seat of a vehicle.
Ensure safety inside and outside the home
Head injuries within the home are often a result of slipping or falling. Use the following fall prevention checklist to help you fall-proof your home to prevent head injuries:
- Install window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows.
- Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
- Remove tripping hazards such as small area rugs and loose electrical cords.
- Use non-slip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors.
- Make sure the surface of your child's playground is made of shock-absorbing material such as mulch, pea gravel or rubber.
Modeling good habits
Children look up to the adults in their lives and will mimic both healthy, and unhealthy behaviours. Modeling safe habits around your child can instil good practices and demonstrate the importance of preventing head injuries.
As a role model, always wear a helmet when participating in activities such as riding a bike or skating. Adults can also model walking when using stairs (not running) and holding the handrail to prevent falls. Reminding children to buckle their seatbelts is another great way to model safe behaviour.
References
Parachute Canada. 2023. Road safety. Retrieved from: https://parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/road-safety/.