Slipping with children on the lap often results in serious injury

Children often break their legs when they slip with adults
Surely you have seen such situations more often in life or experienced yourself. Adults take children on the slide in the lap to protect them from injury or because the children do not dare to slide alone. But researchers now found that parents should better let their offspring alone. Because as soon as adults take toddlers while slipping on their lap, the risk of the child experiencing a broken leg increases.

Researchers at the University of Iowa found in their study that when adults slide with toddlers in their laps, it increases the likelihood of leg fractures in children. The physicians will publish the results of their study on Monday, September 18, at this year's American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition meeting in Chicago.

If small children slip on the lap of adults, it can cause dangerous fractures to the lower extremities. (Image: JackF / fotolia.com)

Researchers are investigating the injuries of more than 12,500 accidents on slides
For the study, the experts had evaluated about 12,700 skid-related accidents involving children up to five years of age. "The most common injuries to children were at this age. These injuries were particularly frequent when children slipped on others' lap, "said study author Charles Jennissen of the University of Iowa.

Many parents can not assess the danger
Breasts on the lower extremities often arise when children get stuck with their legs somewhere on the slide. Nevertheless, the momentum of the slipping adult is usually sufficient to push the child forward. This can cause severe injuries to the legs. On the other hand, if the child slips alone, her legs are subjected to much less force. Most parents may not know that slipping a child in their womb can cause serious injury to their child. Many parents would certainly not show such behavior if they had previously been informed about the risk, say the scientists.

36 percent of injuries on slides are fractures
The doctors examined the types of injuries that young children experienced on playground slides. In the US alone, an estimated 352,698 children under the age of six were injured on slides between 2002 and 2015, the researchers report. Many of the injuries that occurred were leg fractures. In children under the age of six, most infant injuries occurred between the ages of 12 to 23 months. The most common injury was fractures; in all, 36 percent of injuries were fractures. These fractures mostly affected the lower leg, the researchers explain further.

How come these serious injuries on slides?
In the majority of cases, this type of fracture occurs when the baby's foot touches the edge or bottom of the slide, twisting and then tearing back while the child is sitting on a parent's lap. Many parents and caregivers fall on their lap with a small child without worrying about their possible effects, explains Professor Charles Jennissen of the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine.

If children slip alone, they can cause serious injury
The size and weight of adults seem to play a big role in the injury potential. If a small child slips alone, leg injury can be difficult even if the foot gets caught on the slide. The reason for this is the low occurring forces. However, the force that occurs when an adult walks with a child on a lap on a slide would easily break the child's bones when the child's foot hangs on the slide, the researchers report.

Experts advise: Let your children slip alone
Adults and adolescents should no longer slip in the lap with a small child, the experts recommend. Parents or caregivers who still slide with a child on their lap should be extremely careful so as to prevent the child's foot from hanging on the slide. (As)