Most common causes for baby and child injuries revealed in new report

This trend was observed across all age groups, except for 16 to 18 year olds, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's report released on April 18.

Types of falls

A quarter of falls among infants involved a bed, while one in five happened while the baby was being carried or supported.

AIHW spokesperson Dr Heather Swanston said one in three child and teenage hospitalisations were fall-related injuries.

"Playground equipment was the most common cause of falls amongst children, with hospitalisation rates being highest among children aged 5-9 years," she said.

While falls from playgrounds usually lead to fractures, they can also cause head injuries, according to KidSafe Victoria.

"Most playground injuries can be prevented, or their severity reduced, by good planning, design and maintenance to avoid playground hazards," the organisation's website says.

"Active adult supervision of children at play and ensuring children are using equipment that is appropriate for their age, size and abilities, are also important factors in reducing the risk of serious injury for children."

Injury hospitalisations for teenagers aged 16 to 18 most likely result from transport incidents including cars, motorbikes and bicycles.

The most common type of fall for 13 to 18-year-olds was caused by colliding with, or being pushed by another person.

Childhood fractures

Fractures accounted for more than a third of injury hospitalisations among children and adolescents. More than half of injuries caused by falls resulted in broken bones.

"Nearly half of fractures presenting to the [emergency department] involved the shoulder and upper limb," Dr Swanston said.

For fractures overall, children aged 10 to 12 had the highest rate of emergency department presentations, while adolescents aged 13 to 15 had the highest rate of hospitalisations.

After fractures and open wounds, poisoning or toxic effects were the next most common cause of injury hospitalisations. This was the only type of injury where girls were more likely than boys to be hospitalised.

The most common injuries diagnosed at an emergency department for children under 9-years-old were head injuries.

The rate of injury hospitalisations caused by choking and suffocation, was the highest among infants up to 12 months old. In these cases, inhaled food was the most common cause.

Whereas children aged one to four had the highest rate of injury hospitalisations caused by drowning and submersion.

AIHW's report analysed thousands of child hospitalisations and emergency department presentations across the country in the 2021-2022 period.

It stated adults were "more than twice as likely" to be hospitalised for a fall than children or adolescents.