A mum has shared a shocking pictures, showing the moment her 12-month-old baby girl fractured her leg while going down a playground slide.
Every parent worries about keeping their little one safe. You can't always wrap them in cotton wool and you have to accept that they might take the odd tumble when they're running around with friends.
However, one mum has shared an important warning for parents to take extra precautions while using a particular piece of park play equipment – the slide.
Writing on Facebook alongside a graphic picture of the moment it happened, Heather Clare explained: 'So every year I do a PSA (public service announcement) on going down a slide with your child on your lap. When Meadow was 12 months old (I went down with Matthew first, but he was lucky) , I went down the slide with her on my lap and her foot got caught between me and the slide.'
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155747008474065&set=a.10150189760134065.297399.711049064&type=3&theater
She continued: 'This picture is the moment her leg was breaking. She’s still smiling... because it was happening at this exact moment. When we went to the ER, the super empathetic 🙄 doctor lectured me on how common this injury is. I had no idea. I thought everyone took their kids down the slide.
'I strongly feel every playground should have a warning sign, but since I’ve never seen one (and we go to A LOT of playgrounds), I share this picture 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.'
Heather warned that you should avoid ever going on a slide with your child, or any child for that matter, on your lap. She stressed: 'There is no SAFE way to go down a slide with your little (one). ETA: For all of the common sense posts... it is literally one of the top 3 reasons young children are seen in the ER during the Spring and Summer.
'For everyone commenting on how I am holding my daughter. We didn’t start this way. She was centered on my lap. When I realised what was happening, I used my top hand to try to stop us and leaned to release her foot. I wasn’t riding down the slide with her on one side and leaning. That’s “common sense.”🙄'.
The post has been shared over 80,000 times and has more that 15,000 Facebook reactions. Parents from across the world are thanking Heather for raising awareness as many, like her, were unaware something like this could happen.
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