Whether it’s to offer reassurance or security, we’re sure that many of you have on occasion accompanied your little one down the playground slide.
While this may seem like an innocent mother-and-child activity, a story emerging from the States is serving up an important warning against it this week.
A mum has shared her story with the New York Times, after her daughter was left with a fractured tibia from their joint ride down a park slide together.
According to the report, Katie Dickman was playing with her 18-month-old daughter Hannah, when she decided to accompany her little one on the toy.
However, halfway down the slide, Hannah’s foot got caught on the side – something that went unnoticed to Katie.
By the time the tot had reached the end of the slide, she was complaining that she was unable to walk.
A concerned Katie brought her little girl to the doctor, only to be told that the incident had left her with a fracture in her lower leg.
This is not a rare occurrence, it would seem, with the NYT article giving an insight into just how common these slide-related accidents are.
“A study at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY, found that nearly 14% of paediatric leg fractures over an 11-month period involved toddlers riding down the slide with a parent,” wrote author Tara Parker-Pope.
With plenty of garden playtime coming up over the summer months, this is certainly worth bearing in mind.
