We all want to keep our children safe; it is in our instincts to do everything we can to protect them. Mothers have been known to lift cars off of their kids, for goodness sake! And when we take our kids out in this hot summer weather we know what we need to do; lather them in sunscreen, put a hat on them, keep them hydrated and never, ever leave them in the car.
But what happens when you aren’t aware that something is dangerous for your kids. What if you actually think it is something that is fun and interesting for them instead?
This is exactly what happened to Joleen Kellams when her daughter Maddie was only two. Maddie walked onto wheel chair ramp made of same material that is found in many playgrounds. She was barefoot at the time.
“I heard her say hot, and I turned around and saw her on the ramp,” says Kellams. “So I ran over to scoop her up and in those couple steps, she put her hands down and so she had second degree burns on both her hands and her feet.”
Kellams posted photos of little Maddie and her burns to social media in hopes that Maddie’s story can help to educate parents. It took Maddie three weeks to recover.
In the video below, the reporter uses an infrared camera to show us just how hot your local playground can get. The pavement alone can get up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
As adults, when we touch something that is hot, we register that it is hot and quickly take our hand or foot away from the source of heat. But children don’t always understand how to do this; they just haven’t learned how to break away. So they instead leave themselves exposed to the source of heat, which puts them at a greater risk for burns.
Kellams urges parents to “just be aware that there are those dangers around”. Avoid metal slides and bars but be aware that plastic slides can get just as hot in the summer sun!
If it is hot to you, it will be even hotter on our child’s super sensitive skin. So keep your sun safety in mind this summer, but don’t forget how the heat can affect everything around you and your children.
Practice safe sliding this summer!
Perhaps it’s just me, but this kind of article and warning is a good example of what is perpetuating our culture of fear. The pavement and slides got hot 30 years ago when we were kids and no one seemed to have this issue. If kids don’t know how to “break away” it’s because, as parents, we’re not allowing them the opportunity to learn how to.
WOW! Thanks for posting this – I’m going to share it around.