Avoid Injury When Playing With Your Kids

Summer is a great time of the year for parents to spend more time with their kids. Not only is school out, but the nice weather opens up a lot of activities for families to spend time together. However, some of these activities can cause injury. Whether it’s in the pool or other types of activities, more often it’s the adults who play along with the kids that get injured. Some of these things are not designed for adults, so the grownups who are playing along are at the risk of hurting themselves. Here are some activities that adults should be careful of when playing along with children.

Slip N Slides

Slip N Slides can be a perfect past time on a hot summer day. Especially if your family doesn’t have a pool to enjoy, slip n slides are the perfect alternative to cool off and have fun. The concept is simple, it’s essentially a long plastic sheet with running water that you can slide down on your belly. In fact, the concept is so simple that many make it themselves.

However, while kids can run and dive down a slippery slope all day, adults don’t hit the ground as easily as kids do. That’s why we recommend purchasing a manufactured slip n slide rather than making it yourself. The ones that are made by pool companies are often inflatable and more cushioned so that you aren’t diving right on the solid ground. Even so, adults should not go overboard on slip n slides, because diving into it too roughly could cause injuries in the shoulders, neck or back. Additionally, follow all safety instructions that the slip n slide companies recommend, especially when it encourages to go down the slide one at a time. Multiple people sliding at once could result in a head injury.

Diving Boards & Pool Slides

Pools are one of the most popular summer past time for families. We recently spoke about some major pool safety tips, but additional hazards are worth noting. Insurance companies refer to pools as an “attractive nuisance”, and homeowners are completely liable for anyone who is in the pool area, due to the risks that can come with it. Two such risks are diving boards and pool slides. These items are extra risks and many insurance companies require additional coverage if you want to install them in your swimming pool.For kids, these items make the pools more exciting. So if your child is going to go to a pool that has either a diving board or a pool slide, it is extra important that they are properly supervised.

Make sure your kid is old enough to use a diving board, and inform other parents if you are not comfortable with your child to use one on play dates. And for adults, being cautious on these things are no exception. Diving is the fifth leading cause of spinal cord injury for men and women, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. So make sure you know what you’re doing before diving or performing an acrobatic in front of your friends.

Pool slides are not as common as diving boards, and many pool slides on Long Island are old. This is because insurance companies dislike them even more than diving boards, due to the injuries they can cause. Particularly slides that lead into a shallow end can be dangerous, especially if a person decides to dive head first. Therefore, it is recommended to never dive head first in these pools, because the result could be traumatic brain injury.

Trampolines

Finally, grownups should also be careful if using a trampoline. It seems like kids can bounce around all day long without any repercussions. But that’s not the case for adults because once again, adults fall harder. The best kinds of trampolines are the ones that have a safety net around it, as it prevents anyone from accidentally flying off and hurting themselves. Additionally, all trampolines have a weight limit attached somewhere, do not test this out. Those weight limits are there for a reason and adhering to it can prevent serious injury. Also, don’t go crazy if jumping around with kids. Kids might be able to bounce off of each other all day, but an impact from an adult can really hurt them. Finally, once again be extremely careful if performing acrobatics so as not to seriously injure your neck.

No one wants to spend summer in a cast. These hazards from popular activities should not be overlooked in order for you and your family to be safe.

About the Author


Steven Palermo is the managing partner for Palermo Law, Long Island’s Personal Injury Law Firm. He has been helping people receive compensation for their injuries for over 21 years. He focuses on cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, construction accidents and slip and fall injuries.

His book The Ultimate Guide to Handling New York Car Accident Claims details the ins and outs of a car accident claim in a simple, easy-to-read manner.