WARNING: do not read ahead if squeamish.
With summer here, more and more parents are taking their children to the park in the sunny evenings and holidays. But there is a safety risk that all parens should be aware of. Never go down a slide with your toddler- and this is is why.
Mum Heather Clare explained in the Facebook post why this is a dangerous idea.
"So every year I do a PSA on going down a slide with your child on your lap. When Meadow was 12 months old (I went down with Matthew first, but he was lucky), I went down the slide with her on my lap and her foot got caught between me and the slide."
We can barely look at this picture, the poor mite.
"This picture is the moment her leg was breaking. She’s still smiling... because it was happening at this exact moment.
After rushing to ER, the doctor told her distressed mum how common the injury was. Now she wants to use the experience as a warning to other parents.
"I had no idea. I thought everyone took their kids down the slide. I strongly feel every playground should have a warning sign, but since I’ve never seen one (and we go to A LOT of playgrounds), I share this picture every year in hopes that the pain Meadow felt and the guilt that I still feel will save other babies and parents from the same.
"Don’t ever go down a slide with a baby on your lap. There is no SAFE way to go down a slide with your little."
“Many parents and caregivers go down a slide with a young child on their lap without giving it a second thought,” explains Dr Charles Jennissen, Clinical Professor and Pediatric Emergency Medicine Staff Physician, explained to Scary Mommy. “And in most cases I have seen, the parents had no idea that doing so could possibly give their child such a significant injury.”
According to research that Jennissen carried out, the most common injury kids receive from slides are fractured legs. Most of these are caused when a child is sitting on a parent's lap while going down a slide.
“People say they hold their child’s limbs in or tuck their legs in between theirs. The child’s legs can get stuck no matter what. Also, the weight of another person behind the child, even an older sibling who doesn't weigh much, pushes the smaller child down the slide and doesn't allow them to stop if they get stuck.”
Luckily, Meadow has since made a full recovery.
When it comes to slide safety, don't risk it.
