When at the playground, you'll typically see parents playing with their children while slowly going down slides with their little ones. Usually, kids who cannot walk or have just learned to walk may stumble or be nervous when sliding down alone. On the other hand, playground activity is a quintessential phase of childhood, per Parents.
Parents, including carers, might think going down the slides with their little kids is the safest way. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition in September 2017 stated that joining your child on the child is severely dangerous.
Dr. Charles Jennissen, a clinical professor and pediatric emergency medicine staff physician at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, told the outlet that kids ages five years old and below are at a higher risk for lower leg injuries such as broken bones, especially when they ride on another's lap while going on a ride.
Young ones can sustain an injury
Dr. Jennissen and his entire team used the United States Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) to conduct their research. The study found over 35,000 kids under five years old were injured on slides on the playground from 2002 to 2015, with 36 percent sustaining broken bones.
Little kids ages 12 to 23 were more likely to sustain injuries than children aged five. The authors cited in the study that young ones were dozen times more likely to be placed in (another) person's lap when injured compared to older kids.
The authors concluded that kids are less likely to sustain injuries on slides as they age, particularly when placed in another person's lap. They reached out to healthcare providers to evaluate the potential for such injuries, which can eventually lead to tibia or shinbone fractures. The researchers warned parents about the consequences of a child's foot that can get captured on the slide's surface, making it more dangerous as the child's foot can experience breaking, turning, and twisting of their bones.
Relative force is much greater due to additional weight
Behind the Instagram account "Momma Will Teach," Jean first thought riding down the slide while sitting on the lap was the safest way for her son. Hence, unfortunately, she soon realized that it was hazardous for kids as his 18-month-old had broken legs because of it.
The US mom added that she wished this was written in the nonexistent parenting handbook. Thus, she urged others never to ride down a slide with their precious child in their lap, considering that their foot can get stuck on the way down, which would indeed cause a leg or an ankle fracture.
Adding that when a child sits on the parent's lap, the relative force is much greater and higher due to the additional weight. This means the two individuals, the adult, and the child, are riding down the slide much faster, making the probability of a broken bone more likely if the child's foot gets stuck on the slide's surface.
The clinical professor explains that people, particularly parents, should be aware of the dangers posed by the slide as one of the responsibilities of parents is to keep the child safe at all times, per Tell Me Baby.
