A mother in the US posted a chilling warning on Instagram after her son suffered a serious injury at the park.
Momma Will Teach’s Jean believed it was okay for her son to slide down a slide while sitting on her lap. She now realizes, however, that this action was extremely risky and caused the 18-month-old to break his leg.
She wrote, “Let your little one go down the slide by themselves, when their core strength is strong enough, of course.”
“Here I was, a mom of 18 months, thinking how sweet to put my toddler on my lap for additional support. Boy, was I wrong & learned the hard way, 5 short months after he started walking.”
More data from the American Academy of Pediatrics was added by Jean.
In fact, going down a slide [while holding your child on your lap] increases the likelihood that a youngster will break a leg or sustain another major injury.
“Due to the added weight, when a child is sitting on a parent’s lap, the relative force is significantly greater. This increases the likelihood of breaking a bone if the child’s foot gets caught on the slide’s surface because you’re traveling down the slide considerably faster.
Many parents replied that nothing ever happened when they went down a slide with their child multiple times, while others were appreciative of the warning and some even mentioned that they had personally experienced it.
“I’d love to see signs up at playgrounds! Lots of caregivers don’t have any idea it’s dangerous,” said one parent. “Sometimes I will say something because I have experienced it myself with my niece riding on my lap. There are so many things we can’t protect our kids from, but this is one that’s completely preventable!”
