As a parent, of course, we want our children to be safe anywhere they go. We always want to see and be with them to make sure harm is very far away, especially while at play in a playground.
A playground is full of adventure. Kids love to play there with all the pieces of equipment available and new friends to meet and remember. On the other hand, parents dread the possible dangers these pieces of equipment can do to their children, especially slides. With this, some parents choose to accompany their children to go down the slides.
Obviously, they’re thinking that their kids will be safe. Sorry, but this is a big no-no. And there are stories and studies to prove it. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, there are more than a million kids who receive treatment from a playground accident every year, with 20 percent of this is from slides.
Another study, The Mechanisms and Injuries Associated with Playground Slides in Young Children: Increased Risk of Lower Extremity Injuries with Riding on Laps, revealed an in-depth figure of slide accidents, stating an estimate of 352,698 children below six years old has gotten fractures from slides in the United States within 2002 to 2015. Among these injuries were leg fractures.
“It is not uncommon for young children to be injured when going down a slide on a caregiver’s lap. The shin bone can be broken when the child’s foot or leg gets caught or twisted and the caregiver’s weight continues to push them down the slide,” Dr. Anne Butler, Medical Director of PM Pediatrics of Forest Hills via Mommy Nearest.
Regarding real-life experiences, there are dozens of articles that show going down on a slide with your toddler is not safe. Take the story of Broughton family. Their article posted on POPSUPGAR has shown the dangers of doing this.
“I had him in between my legs sitting in front of me,” Kristi Broughton told POPSUGAR. “At the very end of the metal slide, the rubber sole of his shoe got caught and stopped but his body kept going, so he twisted his foot underneath him. The weight of me behind him was exactly what made it worse. Instead of him being able to correct his foot, my weight kept it going.”
When the accident happened, Broughton took the experience to Facebook, as quoted on POPSUGAR, to raise awareness: “I’m surprised more parents don’t know this or maybe they do and I just learned, but don’t slide with your toddler. Gage now has a broken leg due to this very classic mistake all parents, including myself, do.”
Another story, which was posted on The New York Times, was about Katie Dickman and her 18-month-old toddler named Hannah. As the two of them, while her daughter was on her lap, went down, Hannah’s sneaker was caught on the side of the slide. While at the scene, Ms Dickman was able to grab her daughter’s foot, but once they reached the ground, her daughter couldn’t walk. After a visit to the doctor did they find out that their Hannah got a fractured tibia.
“My wife was just trying to keep Hannah extra safe and make sure she didn’t fall,” said Hannah’s father, Jed Dickman said via The New York Times. “She felt very guilty about it.”
Being protective of your children is fine. Of course, we love them so much and that’s why we only want the best for them. But, there is always a thin line between when we should step in and plunge into the adventure with them, or stay at a distance while watching over them. Playgrounds are definitely areas wherein we should let our children have fun and meet new people on their own.
Safety is number one for parents. Be worry-free while your children are at play with Toddler playgrounds installed in establishments that are known to be safe. With this, businesses can help in promoting safety for kids and increase their sales at the same time by installing playgrounds manufactured by an international playground manufacturer. iREC’s playgrounds are recognised around the world as a safe place for kids to run around and have fun. On par with international standards, the playground manufacturer has a consistent track record of only providing high-quality playgrounds for establishments and fun for parents and kids.
Content retrieved from: https://irec.ph/going-slide-toddler-not-safe/.