You should never let your child sit on your lap on a slide, expert warns

We had no idea this was so risky.

She has told parents to stop letting their children sit on their laps when they're on a slide.

You may think it's super cute but is actually extremely harmful.

So many children have hurt their legs and even broken them because of this risky move.

Speaking on Instagram, one mum said you should let your child go down the slide alone, once their core strength is strong enough.

She revealed she tried to go down a slide with her toddler, but it ended badly.

"Here I was, a mom of 18 months, thinking how sweet to put my toddler on my lap for additional support.

"Boy, was I wrong & learned the hard way, 5 short months after he started walking…"

"Researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics found that riding down a slide this way can actually increase the chances that a child could break his/her leg or get seriously injured in another way.

"When they are sitting on the lap of a parent, the relative force is much greater because of additional weight."

The additional weight means you're going down the slide at a quicker speed.

This increases the chance of your child breaking a bone because they could catch their foot on the slide.

Many parents admitted they had no idea this was dangerous.

"I'd love to see signs up at playgrounds! Lots of caregivers don't have any idea it's dangerous," one said.

Another added, "This happened to my daughter. I had her on my lap and her foot got stuck under her body.

"The doctor also said he saw this so many times."

READ MORE:

• Psychologist shares three tips on how to handle tantrums
• Parents urged not to pay ‘voluntary’ contribution if they can’t afford it
• Three things to do as a family to help raise happy, kind and caring kids