I thought I was helping my toddler when I rode down a playground slide with her, but a recent study suggests I may have increased the chances that she’d break a bone. Ditto when I let her join her older cousins on a backyard trampoline (albeit one that was enclosed so no one would fall out). And as for monkey bars? Well, suffice it to say I’m glad the ones in our neighborhood have soft modern materials beneath them to cushion any fall.
It turns out many well-intentioned parents are exposing their kids to extra risks on the playground and in the backyard. Check out this advice from the Boston Globe to make sure you aren’t increasing the chances that your family will end up at the ER: “3 parental mistakes that lead to playground injuries.”
Do you have other recommendations? Let me know in the comments.
Photo by Hunta/Fotolia.
Great Kids, Great Outdoors is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Heather Stephenson.
Labels: Heather Stephenson, injuries, monkey bars, parents, playground, safety, slide, trampoline
