Babies and toddlers have double the risk of head injuries

The researchers from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Victoria also found that football was a major cause of head injuries in school-age children.

Lead researcher Louise Crowe says the study is a warning to parents as head injuries are a major cause of death and disability in children and can result in difficulties with attention, learning and speech and while it is recognised that some falls are unavoidable, a high number of injuries come down to a lack of parental supervision.

The researchers surveyed 1115 children up to age 16 who had been admitted to the Royal Children's Hospital with head injuries over a 12-month period and it was found that 90% were classified as mild, 8% as moderate and 3% as severe and males and children under 3 years had the higher attendance rates.

While falls, sports and motor vehicle accidents were the main causes of head injuries, 30% occurred playing Australian rules football and of the children admitted, more than 40% were aged two or under - though most of the head injuries were mild, 26 of the children were admitted to intensive care and two died.

Over 50% of the injuries happened in the home and most injuries to infants were due to falls from beds, sofas, prams, change tables, stairs and high chairs and the injury level fell as the children got older.

School, sports venues and playgrounds were also found to be dangerous areas and while boys and girls under two were found to be equally at risk, in the older groups males dominated and for school-age children, sports were a major cause of head injuries, with almost a third due to football.

The researchers have called for better public education and say many causes of head injuries appear preventable, in particular, falls from heights in infants and injuries in sport.

The research is published in the latest Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.