I want to tell you why you should never go down a slide with a child in your lap.

I'm gonna get my sweet little buddy Carson here to help me.

Carson's mother is one of the best mothers I know. She is attentive, kind, and loves to encourage Carson's rambunctious personality to shine through (and boy is he rambunctious!)

Like any great mom, she likes to take Carson to the park from time to time. And like any great mom, she wants to be sure he's always safe.

When they recently went to a new park, Carson wanted to go down a particularly tall slide. Since it seemed to be pretty steep, she sat Carson in her lap, and down they went!

On the way down, she noticed his shoe "caught" a bit, but didn't think much of it. He wasn't as excited as she thought he'd be when they reached the bottom. In fact, he seemed to whimper and limp.

Carson had experienced what MANY children experience after going down a slide in a parents' lap - a tibial spiral fracture. Or, in other terms, he broke one of his shin bones.

What happens is - children are usually wearing rubber-soled shoes, which create a lot of traction. It easily creates friction on a sliding board. If any part of that kiddo's shoe sticks to the sliding board, and the parent's weight is pushing everything downwards - pop - the leg twists and shin bone cracks.

This is so common that one recent study found that it is the cause of nearly 14 percent of tibial fractures in all children!

Instead of putting your child in your lap to go down a slide, stand next to the slide and hold your child's hand, or - pick a new activity!

Please share this information with those you know who have small children. We see this injury way too much!

Hugs,Dr. Diane