Going down a slide with your little one in between your legs is something most of us have done at one time or another.
But you may never venture down a slide again, after seeing this photo.
Warning: The image is quite graphic. And scary!
Like many mums, Heather Clare was completely unaware of the risks that sliding with your kids can cause. She discovered the hard way just how dangerous it can be. And now she’s sharing her story and a photo to warn other mums to think before they slide.
‘This picture is the moment her leg was breaking’
As Heather writes in a now-viral Facebook post about slide danger,
“When Meadow was 12 months old, I went down the slide with her on my lap and her foot got caught between me and the slide. This picture is the moment her leg was breaking. She’s still smiling… because it was happening at this exact moment.”
The picture of the toddler’s little leg contorted is enough to make every parent cringe. Poor little Meadow! And poor mumma!
As Heather writes, “When we went to the ER, the doctor lectured me on how common this injury is. I had no idea. I thought everyone took their kids down the slide.”
Heather is certainly not alone! I used to slide down the slippery dip with my kids all the time. However, recently the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report warning parents that riding down a slide with your child can increase the risk of your wee one breaking a leg.
Toddlers, like Meadow, sustained the most injuries and 36% of injuries involved a fracture of the child’s lower leg.
‘There is no SAFE way to go down a slide with your little [one]’
Meadow’s accident happened a few years ago and she is recovered now. But Heather still shares the slide danger photo every year in “hopes that the pain Meadow felt and the guilt that I still feel will save other babies and parents from the same”.
Playgrounds to come with warning sign?
Despite the researchers indicating that slides can be dangerous, many mums aren’t aware of the dangers.
“I strongly feel every playground should have a warning sign,” Heather suggests. “But I’ve never seen one (and we go to A LOT of playgrounds).”
For more information about keeping toddlers safe, take a look at our article about how two heartbroken parents who lost their child in a terrible accident have joined a campaign to keep other kids safe.
