We’ve all been there.
A slide might seem too high, so you’re hesitant about putting your little one on it.
Eventually, you allow them to play away, but with much caution.
Some parents even go as far as sliding down with their child sitting on their lap… but it turns out, that’s the worst thing you could do.
Scientists in the US studied more than 350,000 cases involving a child sustaining injuries from a slide.
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And in the majority, the injuries occurred if a parent took their child on a slide with them.
According to Birmingham Mail, the cases, which all took place between 2002 and 2015, saw that the most common injury was a broken bone, likely on the lower leg.
An author of the study, Dr Charles Jennissen from the University of Iowa, said: “Many parents and caregivers go down a slide with a young child on their lap without giving it a second thought.
“And in most cases I have seen, the parents had no idea that doing so could possibly give their child such a significant injury.
“They often say they would never have done it had they known,” he added.
The findings claim that fractures most commonly occur when a child is sitting on an adult’s lap. A foot will catch at the side, and the child will be thrown forward.
Because of the added weight of an adult, the force will be much harder, letting the child’s foot get caught, twist and break.
The study said that if a child went by themselves, the force isn’t as powerful and the child is unlikely to suffer any severe injuries.
