Get out there early, get it done, so you can enjoy the rest of your day – but here’s the catch – and parents, I’m talking to you! Look me in the eye and repeat after me:

“I will make my children stay inside while I mow the lawn!”

I know your child LOVES the lawn mower. They love pushing their toy lawn mower behind Daddy's real one. I know how cute it is. I know they love sitting on your lap while you ride around on the lawn mower. Again, cute. 

Well, tough cookies. Because as cute as any of this may be, it's also a MAJOR safety issue and one I take very seriously.

In my line of work as a prosthetic/orthotic clinician, amputations are an unfortunate fact of life for a small portion of the pediatric population. The saddest cases are those that are completely preventable, and these traumatic lawn mowing accidents are exactly that. If your child is lucky enough to avoid an amputation after a run in with a lawn mower, they are still going through a very scary and traumatic injury. And let’s not get started on what the driver of the lawn mower will have to contend with for the rest of his or her life.

I can hear some of you arguing with me as you read this now: “But the lawn mower doesn’t go that fast." "The push ones go as speedy as my legs do." "The riding mowers aren’t moving more than 6 miles per hour.”

It’s not how fast your lawn mower goes, it’s how fast those sharp things underneath spin! I’ll spare you the math (*ahem, Google searching*) but a blade on a lawn mower can move anywhere from 18,000-18,500 feet per minute. (The government limits this speed to under 19,000). To translate that into lawn mower talk, that’s 150-200 miles per hour!

“Ok, so they won’t be in the yard, but they can watch from the patio.”

Sure, just like they stayed right behind you at the store. How many grocery isles did you go down before you found them in front of the cookies? How many clothing racks did you upend before you heard that familiar giggling from the ActiveWear section? Kids wander, and the last surprise you want is one that could threaten life or limb. Oh, and don’t get me started on the projectiles. I’ve personally had windows in my home broken from flying rocks. And just last week a flying piece of rebar punctured the leg of a friend and shattered the bone. So, inside it is!

“Yeah, but the chances of that actually happening … it certainly won’t happen to me.” Famous last words. Each year 10,000 children are seen at emergency centers across the country because of lawn mowing accidents. Last year at Cook Children's, we saw five children injured because of lawn mowers. We've already seen two kids involved in mower accidents.

While we have many tools at our disposal in prosthetics to create a new limb for an amputee to walk on, it will always be secondary to the one God gave us. So let’s be smart this summer, keep those kiddos busy inside while you work toward that coveted “Yard of the Month” award. And once the lawn mower is put away, then enjoy your family fun time outdoors!

About the author

Jillian Warden is a prosthetic/orthotic clinician at Cook Children's. With the goal of providing the right care by the right person in the right setting, Cook Children's Home Health offers orthotic and prosthetic services. Whether outpatient at our office or in our numerous clinic settings, we strive to give our pediatric patients the best orthotic and prosthetic care. 

In 2015, five children were seen at Cook Children’s for lawn mower related injuries. Ages ranged from toddlers to teens and all five were run over by the lawn mower. Already in 2016, two kids have been involved in lawn mower accidents.

Each year approximately 10,000 children are seen with injuries caused by power mowers are treated in emergency departments across the nation.

Lawn mowing injuries can be severe, including amputations, broken and dislocated bones, burns and eye injuries.

“Lawn mower injuries are easy to stop, just don’t let children be outside if the mower is on, said Sharon Evans, Cook Children’s Trauma Injury Prevention/Outreach coordinator. “If the child is young there needs to be an adult inside the house supervising them. If the child and/or adult has to go outside there should be the rule that they signal, call or whatever to get the rider’s attention and then the rider turns off the mower as soon as possible before anyone approaches it. The rule should be the same for older children too.”

To prevent lawn mower injuries to children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following:

1. Use a mower with a control that stops the mower from moving forward if the handle is let go.
2. Children younger than 16 years should not be allowed to use ride-on mowers. Children younger than 12 years should not use walk-behind mowers.
3. Make sure that sturdy shoes (not sandals or sneakers) are worn while mowing.
4. Prevent injuries from flying objects, such as stones or toys, by picking up objects from the lawn before mowing begins. Use a collection bag for grass clippings or a plate that covers the opening where cut grass is released. Have anyone who uses a mower wear hearing and eye protection.
5. If the lawn mower is on, make sure all children are not outside and are safely inside.
6. Start and refuel mowers outdoors, not in a garage or shed. Mowers should be refueled with the motor turned off and cool.
7. Make sure that blade settings (to set the wheel height or dislodge debris) are done by an adult, with the mower off and the spark plug removed or disconnected.
8. Do not pull the mower backward or mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary, and carefully look for children behind you when you mow in reverse.
9. Always turn off the mower and wait for the blades to stop completely before removing the grass catcher, unclogging the discharge chute, or crossing gravel paths, roads, or other areas.
10. Do not allow children to ride as passengers on ride-on mowers.