Child Safety

For a young child with ITP, it's important to make the environment as safe as possible to accommodate your child's need for activity. Ask your doctor what precautions you should take. Padding, safety gear, and protective clothing may be necessary when platelet counts are low. ¹

To prevent falls, the Mayo Clinic recommends the following steps²:

• Don't let young children play alone on porches or balconies
• Keep stairs clear
• Install safety gates
• Keep windows locked
• Secure area rugs
• Avoid extension cords
• Use tub mats
• Fasten safety belts on high chairs and strollers

If there’s play equipment in your own yard, a neighbor’s, or a nearby park or school, be sure to teach your child rules for playground safety and provide adult supervision. On public playgrounds, more injuries occur on climbers than on any other equipment. But on home playgrounds, swings are responsible for most injury. ³