Parents, who try to get their toddlers acclimated to playground slides by holding them on their laps before taking off, are not doing themselves or their children any favors.
According to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, moms and dads should think twice before placing toddlers on their laps and heading down the park’s slide.
Researchers say you are not protecting your child by placing him on your lap; rather you are increasing the chances of him getting seriously injured. The study found parents, who sit and slid with little Johnny on their laps, doubled the chances of their toddler suffering a fractured shinbone.
Researchers studied kids, who showed up in the emergency room, and found that of the toddlers who were there with broken bones, the majority of them commonly slid down playground slides on their parent’s lap.
According to researchers: “Parents should be educated not to go down a slide with a child on their lap. If the child is unable to use the slide independently, another activity would be more appropriate.”
I’ve lost count of the number of toddlers I’ve seen successfully scale the playground slide only to freeze in fear at the top. In most cases a parent will come running over and offer to slide with the frightened tot or simply remove him from the queue, so other kids can have their turn. Obviously, the former group did so without considering that they were putting their children at risk for leg fractures.
My daughter is a daredevil, and as a toddler she refused to allow me to stand at the bottom of the slide to catch her, so needless to say, the thought of placing her on my lap to do the sit and slide never crossed my mind. Who knew her thrill seeking nature and stubborn streak would actually yield positive results?
What do you make of the new study? How often do you place your toddler on your lap before taking off down the slide? Will you think twice about sliding with your tot now that you’ve read what researchers have to say about the practice?
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