The Likelihood of Injuries When Children Fall Out of Bed

Between 1980 and 1985, 76 children from birth to 16 years of age were reported to have fallen out of a bed, crib, or chair while in our hospital; 75% of the incidents occurred in children from birth to 5 years of age. The height of falls ranged from 1 to 3 ft. Most of the injuries were minor (scalp hematoma and facial lacerations). Our data indicate that severe head, neck, spine, and extremity injuries are extremely rare when children fall out of hospital beds. Child abuse should be suspected and ruled out when a child is seen with severe injury from a reported “fall at home”.