Infants ’ In-Home Injuries: Implications and Future Directions

As infants ’ motor skills improve over time, they can better explore their environments; however, infants have minimal skills to appraise danger. Unintentional injuries in the home are a leading cause of death for young children (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), 2020) and are often the result of hazardous interactions (e.g., ingesting cleaner fluids) and/or engaging in unsafe behaviors (e.g., climbing onto bookcases;Morrongiello et al., 2021;Pickett et al., 2003). The rate of unintentional injuries increases as motor skills improve. Past research on young children ’s injuries provided information about the type of injuries incurred (Morrongiello et al., 2014) and safety practices parents take (Gaines& Schwebel, 2009;Morrongiello& House, 2004;Peterson et al., 1990;Sleet et al., 2010). These studies helped guide messaging for providers who work with young children and their families. However, much of this research has focused on toddlerhood and/or retrospective analyses. A noticeable gap in this research is related to the contextual factors for injuries and subsequent parental safety practices with infants.
Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research