Sledding Safety Tips

For a kid, few things are more exciting than waking up to find a thick layer of snow on the ground and then discovering that you have an unexpected day off from school to explore. The list of fun activities practically writes itself: snowball fights, snow sculpting, making snowcream, and, top of many kids’ lists, going sledding.

Sledding can be a lot of fun, but it can also be very dangerous. Every year, there are an average of 22,000 sledding injuries that require care at an emergency department in the United States. And most of these (more than 70%) are children. Despite the numbers, most people aren’t aware of how dangerous sledding can be.

Pediatric emergency specialists Seth Gerard, MD, and Kathleen Noorbakhsh, MD, share ways families can help their kids enjoy sledding in the snow safely. 

Pick a Safe Sledding Location

Interestingly, skiing and snowboarding are actually less likely to result in a serious injury than sledding. Location plays a key role in that. On professionally maintained slopes, there aren’t a lot of hidden dangers.

“Sled in an area without obstacles or roads. Specifically, children should not slide down hills that end in trees, fences, vehicles, guardrails, or bodies of water,” Noorbakhsh says.

Most injuries come from colliding with a stationary object, like a tree or fence.

Wear a Helmet

“A typical sled on snow can go 20 mph, that’s faster than most kids can bike,” Noorbakhsh shares. And yet, while most parents wouldn’t dream of letting their kid bike without a helmet, the iconic image of kids sledding typically features beanies.

Gerard agrees that dressing for the weather is important, but “do not let it compromise helmet safety. Nothing should be under a well-fitted helmet. Fit a beanie or hood over it.”

But don’t worry, you don’t need to go out and buy a new sledding helmet. “Research has shown that standard bike helmets work well for the high-velocity, high-energy impacts we worry about with sledding injuries,” Gerard adds.

Use the Sled Correctly

“Use sleds as they are intended, sitting up, and facing forward,” Noorbakhsh says.

Sharing a single-person sled can lead to passengers not having enough room and falling off. Using a broken sled or adding things to a sled to make it go faster are other factors that make an injury more likely.

It’s also wise not to use an external motor, like a car or ATV, to add speed to your sled. This increases the risk of serious injury significantly. Any time speed is added to an impact, it can have serious consequences. Most recently, it was ice that contributed to additional speed. Ice is also a less forgiving surface to crash onto.

Talk to Your Children About Safety

No one likes raining on their child’s parade. And you don’t want to make your child afraid to adventure outside. But bringing up safety doesn’t have to be a big deal.

In one survey, 73% of parents shared that they talked to their child about wearing a helmet when skiing or snowboarding. In that same survey, only 17% said they’d talk to their child about a helmet before sledding.

These conversations can help your child understand the importance of safety.

Go With Your Kids

“Young children should be supervised,” Noorbakhsh says. And supervising is one of the easiest ways to help with the other aspects of safety. Walk the sledding area with your child and point out hazards that make one area safe and another not safe. That way, when they’re older and sledding with friends, they’ll have the information needed to make good choices.

And for young children, modeling the behavior you want from them is incredibly valuable. Are you helmeting up before launching yourself down a steep slope on a thin piece of plastic? Kids are always watching, and what you do matters just as much as what you say.

Accidents Can Still Happen

Combine an eagle-eyed parent, well-prepped kids, and a safe environment, and you’ll reduce the risk of injury significantly. But there’s always a chance. Even athletes in the winter Olympics (arguably some of the most vetted landscapes with numerous professional observers) get injured.

If a crash impacted your child’s head, caused a loss of consciousness, or if they seem confused after, then it’s a good idea to talk to a medical professional right away. They may want to do imaging to make sure there aren’t any hidden injuries.

As your children get older, teaching them about first aid and injuries can help them know when to come to you for help.