I thought it’d be cute to let my toddler go down slide on my lap – now I hope other mums listen when I say NEVER do it
ONE of the best things about being a parent is getting to experience the world again through your little one’s eyes.
Suddenly, everyday activities like eating breakfast or going on a walk become the most exciting thing in the world when you see the delighted look on your baby’s face.
So naturally, Jean – who runs the Instagram account Momma Will Teach – couldn’t wait to take her son on a slide for the first time.
Earlier this year, the US mum explained how she assumed it was safe for her toddler to go down the slide as long as he was on her lap.
She wrote on her Instagram page: “Tis the season to share a tip I wish was in the nonexistent parenting handbook, or at least at the pediatrician 18 month checkup […]
“Here I was, a mum of 18 months, thinking how sweet to put my toddler on my lap for additional support.
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“Boy, was I wrong and learned the hard way, five short months after he started walking he had a broken leg from lapping it on a slide!”
She then shared a video of them going down the slide together before cutting off at the point where his leg got caught.
In 2017, researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics found more than 350,000 children under the age of six were injured on slides in the US between 2002 and 2015, and many of those injuries were leg fractures.
Of that group, toddlers aged between 12 and 23 months had the highest percentage of injuries, with the most common injury overall a fracture at 36 per cent.
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Lead researcher Professor Charles Jennissen said the size and weight of adults plays a big role in the potential for injury, as a young child sliding by themselves is unlikely to hurt themselves severely even if their foot catches due to the relatively low forces involved.
Speaking from her own experience, Jean said: “When they are sitting on the lap of a parent, the relative force is much greater because of additional weight.
“This means, you’re going down the slide at a much faster speed, making the chance of a broken bone more likely if the child’s foot catches on the slide’s surface.”
Instead, the mum urged other parents to wait until their child has the core strength to go down the slide on their own.
She added: “Always let your little one go down the slide solo!”
One viewer replied: “I’d love to see signs up at playgrounds! Lots of caregivers don’t have any idea it’s dangerous. 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!”
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Another added: “I’m guilty of this, was horrified because I actually thought I was helping out for once with my sister.”
Meanwhile, a third wrote: “This just happened to our little guy too! We never knew how dangerous it was! It’s crazy how quickly their little bones heal.”