You may not consider the playground to be a dangerous place, yet each summer children across the country suffer unthinkable harm, often from well-meaning parents.
While it’s great to relax and unwind at the playground, there are a couple known cautions you must take into account.
And above all else, you must be vigilant and on the lookout for these three known items which cause hundreds of thousands of injuries each year:
- It’s Hot!: Before placing your baby or child on the swing, check the temperature of the plastic!
Think about it, the scorching sun beats down on the plastic all day, and then you put your little one directly on top of the hot plastic (or metal).
Even when it doesn’t appear to be hot outside, mild weather (with sun) can still cause injury to your child.
Children have been known to suffer second-degree burns on days as cool as 74 degrees!
So please moms, place a blanket down, and check the temperature of all the equipment – slides, swings, etc.
Don’t just plop your child down on hot equipment.
And it goes without saying, make sure to always put sunscreen on your child to protect their sensitive skin from the sun!
- Stranger Danger: It’s a sad world we live in where a child can’t play at the playground alone, but it’s reality.
There are child predators waiting for you to dart your eyes for just a moment, so they can snatch your child.
Often times, they will lure children with cute puppies and candy.
It’s not cliché, it’s true.
Or even more scary, they frequent playgrounds and pay attention to patterns, and may even learn your child’s name.
Be vigilant while your child is playing, and team up with other moms and stand guard together!
- The Deadly Slide : If you’re a mom, you’ve probably placed your child on your lap and slid down the side.
But this is actually dangerous, and can break your child’s legs if you aren’t careful!
Several moms have reported their little ones legs got tucked underneath or caught on the slide, and actually snapped!
Parents reported:
“Research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition noted that an estimated 352,698 children under the age of six were injured on slides in the U.S. from 2002 to 2015.
Injuries were most common among kids from 12-23 months of age, and the most common injury (36 percent of them) were lower leg fractures.
Researcher Charles Jennissen, MD, a clinical professor and pediatric emergency medicine staff physician at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine explained that while he wouldn’t necessarily recommend advising against the practice completely, “parents really need to use extreme caution. You really need to make sure that you’re watching and controlling the child’s lower extremities so they don’t catch on the side of the slide.”
This isn’t to say you can’t slide down the slide with your child, but please use caution when doing so.
So moms, have fun this summer with your children on the playground! Let them run around and get out that pent up energy.
Just be sure to check the equipment first, and stay vigilant.
And if you must place your child on your lap down the slide, make sure you take precautions, as the last thing you want is your child to suffer pain, because you weren’t paying attention.
What are some summer safety playground tips you have for other moms?
Were you surprised to learn how dangerous slides can be?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
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Here is a video warning mom on the dangers of sliding down the slide and not paying attention to the position of your child’s legs.
Warning! This video is disturbing.