The No. 1 Mistake Parents Make at the Playground, From a Safety Expert

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4 days ago

You — and your child — are probably making a mistake on the playground slide.
'My biggest tip for slide safety is to not go down it with your child,' Olivia Reyes, a developmental physical therapist, tells TODAY.com.
Reyes stitched a TikTok video by a fellow mom and respiratory therapist Jordan Tetuan who demonstrated the correct way to ride a slide with a child.
'How I go down the slide with my toddler as someone who works at a children's hospital,' Tetuan wrote on her video, in which she rode a slide with her child on her lap, lifting his legs and his bottom in the air.
As a developmental physical therapist who treats children with disabilities, Reyes says she often held sessions at the playground where kids and their parents learned safe play.
'It's important for parents to not miss out on an experience that many take for granted,' says Reyes. 'I saw a lot that needed improvement at the playground, things that were not very safe.'
In her stitched video, Reyes said, 'Here are three things I wish more parents knew about slide safety.'
Number one, according to Reyes: 'You should not be going down the slide with your child on your lap' to prevent leg fractures, which she says are a common injury in emergency rooms.
Little feet can jam up against the edges of the slide, Reyes explained in the video, adding, 'Due to the inertia of the bigger person propelling them down the slide, it becomes too much pressure and that bone can break.'
If parents do ride with their child on their lap, said Reyes, Tetuan's technique is correct.
Reyes' second no-no: Sliding in a pile with friends. 'It is much safer to go down one at a time,' she said in the video.
'Number three,' Reyes concluded in the video. 'Make sure you're using age-appropriate slides. Big-kid slides have way too much of a slope and incline for a toddler to be able to control their body, therefore, increasing risk of falls and injury.'
A shorter slide is perfect, she added, "Because it allows for a more controlled descent.'
As Reyes tells TODAY.com: 'A toddler who wants to slow down will make themselves wider ... by stretching their hands or legs out.'
In Reyes' video, she praised slide handrails and 'hoods,' those plastic enclosures at the top of slides. 'We call that a visual and tactile cue to sit,' Reyes tells TODAY.com, adding, 'It's like a stop sign.'
Many parents who were injured at playgrounds as children, responded:
'I broke my leg this way as a kid. I was on my dad's lap.'
'This! My kid got a twist fracture when she was 18 months old.'
'My kids go down one at a time with an adult at the top and the bottom. I get called a 'helicopter mom.''
'I didn't even know this was a thing.'
'Sometimes I wonder how I survived the '90s.'
Reyes tells TODAY.com that each piece of playground equipment has intention behind it and an ideal age range, however, 'There's a lack of education around slide safety.'
Reyes shares more safety tips for the slide.
Instead of riding down a slide with your child on your lap, stand beside the slide to hold their hand or guide their backs. Otherwise, parents can catch their kids as they land on the bottom.
'The safest way to go down the slide is alone,' Reyes tells TODAY.com.
In her video, Reyes said the slide's landing area should be soft and spacious and closer to the ground.
'You don't know who is behind you and if you trip walking up the slide, you can take that person out,' says Reyes. Or, if a child walking up the slide can't see the top, especially if the slide is significantly inclined or twisted, they could collide with a peer riding down.
Kids who want to climb, walk or jump should stick to rock walls, ladders and stepping stones, she says.
Other inappropriate ways to use the slide: Careening down headfirst or stomach-down or using the slide as a skateboard ramp.
'Play equipment is heavily regulated,' says Reyes. 'Manufacturers undergo rigorous testing, checkups and maintenance ... but parents should do a quick glance of the playground anyway.'
Weather, temperature and wear and tear can erode playground equipment at a faster rate, says Reyes.
'Parents should look for any cracks in the slide, loose screws and bolts or hot ... or slippery surfaces,' says Reyes. 'I always touch the slide first ... so kids avoid heat burns.'
This article was originally published on TODAY.com