Changing table
A changing table serves infants and toddlers safe to wrap ; So to change their diapers .
Safety aspects: Fall from the changing table
Changing diapers is not a problem up to the age of a few months. As soon as the child can turn around independently, laying on a table begins to become a safety risk, for example if one is briefly distracted and thereby neglecting supervision. Falls in the household are the main causes of accidents; falling from the changing table is one of the typical accidents of small children.
About two thirds of all accidents involving children are falls. It is true that falls from the changing table only represent less than one percent of all (reported) accidents involving children in total, with children under five years of age, i.e. typically changing children, one fifth of all falls from the changing table are the most common type of fall. This type of fall is actually one of the most common causes of accidents in children under one year of age. Characteristic of the fall height, which is significant in comparison to body size, are fractures or other severe trauma, and in particular skull injuries. There is a particular risk in the bathroom because of the hard tiled floors that are common there, so safety and hygiene considerations must be weighed up.
The reason is often brief inattentiveness on the part of the diaper. The Federal Working Group on More Safety for Children recommends placing the child on the floor as soon as you leave the room, even if a changing table is available. Surveys of affected parents have shown, however, that 2 ⁄ 3 did not feel distracted, but were surprised by the "restlessness of the child" or saw the reason in the "hectic during diaper changing" - the real reason is often the child's sudden turning movements or a lack of grip through wet or creamy skin.
Structure and function of changing tables
Changing tables are not actually a design of the tables . They range from portable essays for normal tables and other furniture (changing mat) have their own side tables ( changing table in the narrow sense, such as a stowable folding tables ) to the changing table as a piece of furniture with storage space or as a fixed worktop in public facilities (changing table) .
An essential element of the changing table is a border that is intended to prevent the baby from falling down. The side and rear upstands should be at least 20 cm and, for older children, high enough that they can be swaddled while standing. Attention should be paid to soft or rounded edges. Trays for utensils are helpful so that you can stand in front of the table - but they should be out of the child's reach. The size of the changing area should be at least 55 cm wide and 75 cm long, but better 70 × 80 cm. The washability of the material, even with upholstered changing tables, promotes hygiene. Lamps or radiant heaters should be mounted securely and at the necessary distance from the work surface and equipped with splinter protection. Fixed changing tables sometimes have integrated washbasins. A work surface that is at a height above the hip to the elbow (70–80 cm) is considered comfortable. An ascent aid is interesting for older children, as it can encourage a feeling of independent participation in changing diapers.
Alternatives
Basically, swaddling on the floor is the safest method. If you prefer to change on the bed or sofa and there is no risk of falling, blanket-like changing mats (usually made of easy-to-clean plastics) are an alternative. These often have side pockets for the utensils and are also suitable for on the go.
Public changing tables
Publicly accessible changing tables are located in a changing room , for example in railroad cars, motorway service stations or public toilets.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Malteser: The children's safety book: At home and on the move: Recognizing dangers and preventing them in a targeted manner. Georg Thieme Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-8304-3874-8 , chapter The changing table , p. 50 f. ( limited preview in Google Book search).
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↑ Child safety package for more safety in the household . ( Memento of the original from May 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( MS Word ) Press conference of the association Grosse Protect Kleine on a study, April 10, 2007 (host.inode.at; accessed May 29, 2014); also one fall from the changing table per day . In: Salzburger Nachrichten . November 13, 2004 ( article archive ). - on Austria (relatively small number of accidents investigated, therefore only partially meaningful figures). Figures for Germany see for example Gabriele Ellsäßer, Dr. Bald: Falling accidents in young children (<5 years) . (PDF) kindersicherheit.de
- ↑ cf. for example falling from the changing table , case study no. 5. in: Frank Flake, Frank Scheinichen: Child emergencies in the rescue service . Series of SpringerLink books . Verlag Springer DE, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-29410-5 , p. 248 ff. ( Limited preview in the Google book search).
- ↑ 40% falls on the plane , 20% falls from a height. Study of the large protect small association.
- ↑ for example in Austria about 700–800 out of 170,000; Two changing table accidents a day . Interview with children's surgeon Michael Höllwarth and Marietta Türk in Standard online, March 16, 2010.
- ↑ By far the most common type of fall is stairs , the most dangerous fall from the balcony or window . Study by the association Grosse Protect Kleine, in a press conference: The fall - the number 1 cause of accidents in children p. 2.
- ↑ on the problem of the number of unreported cases as wrongly reported as falling child abuse cf. but injuries in children, for example - more than just falling from the changing table . Ingrid Karb in FAZ Rhein-Main online, October 20, 2011.
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↑ Changing table falls 18%, falls from the table 15%, high chair falls 7%, stair falls 6%, stick or loft bed falls 5%, bicycle falls 3%. Study by the association Big protect little ones , in press conference:
Falling stairs leads to statistics on p. 2. Taken together, however, falls from seating or lounging furniture are more frequent, and the supervisor's attention is likely to be less overall. - ↑ Information on a study by the association Grosse Protect Kleine, in press conference: 2 children fall from the changing table every day p. 3.
- ↑ affected on the head: 97 percent of babies with a changing table accident; diagnosed skull fractures or concussions in almost a third. Study of the association Grosse protect Kleine, in Salzburger Nachrichten.
- ↑ 60% of all serious changing table accidents in the bathroom. Study of the association Grosse protect Kleine, in Salzburger Nachrichten.
- ↑ a b Gabriele Ellsäßer, Dr. Kahl: Changing table - Sure it works! (PDF) Brochure, Federal Working Group More Safety for Children; June 7, 2010 (kindersicherheit.de).
- ↑ Study by the association Grosse protect Kleine, quotations in Salzburger Nachrichten.
- ↑ a b Joe Borgenicht, Louis Borgenicht: Baby - Operating Instructions : Commissioning, maintenance and servicing. Translated by Birgit Franz. Mosaik Verlag, 2014, ISBN 978-3-641-11105-2 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ↑ a b c d e f g Caring for children under three years of age safely . ( Memento of the original from February 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) Brochure, published by the Unfallkasse Baden-Württemberg, 10.1 Changing table , p. 39. (Uk-bw.de, accessed on May 26, 2014; p. 20 there).
- ↑ z. B. Jahrbuch des Eisenbahnwesens , Volume 43, Hestra-Verlag, 1992 ( limited preview in Google book search).
