Are you ready to see some big smiles? Or looks of horror? Be prepared for either.
Our babysitter taught us the following method for putting Julian on the slide when he was too young to slide sitting up:
- Put baby on tummy, feet down, mid way up the slide.
- Place his hands up near his face, not down at his sides. Hopefully he is holding his head up so that you are not about to smear his face against the metal as he goes down.
- Let him slide down to the bottom.
- Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until your back feels like you need a week at a spa.
- Then sit down and let baby play in the sand while you think about that spa you’re never going to visit.
This is pretty safe (please note I am not a doctor or a paramedic) and after you get comfortable with it, you can let go and let him slide to the bottom.
Taking your baby to the playground to try out the slide is your 39th challenge for rookie moms.
If you’ve already made it to the playground with your baby this week, congrats! Not ready for this challenge? Go back and start with an easier one.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
The look on Julian’s face is priceless! A sort of ‘what in the heck are you doing with me’ kind of look. Too cute.
Looks like a safe way for kids to go down the slide. Here is a word of warning for you enthusiastic parents who climb up the slide and slide down with your child in your lap. A friend of mine was going down the slide with her 3 year old granddaughter in her lap. The little girl was wearing sneakers and they grabbed onto the edge of the slide (the rubber didn’t slide easily over the plastic slide but rather clung to it) and the weight of my friend and granddaughter combined kept them going down with her foot staying up and she broke her leg. The er docs said this happens once in a while and to either not hold your kids in your lap on a slide or make sure their feet are on top of your legs where they can’t come in contact with the slide.
Hahaha. We’ve been doing this at Gymboree and Little Man LOVES it. Gotta get back out the park while the weather is still good!
That little bald kid is Milo and he’s about as happy as he can be while we go all nuts with the slide and the camera.
FYI, I switched the picture again and the photo is not one of the rookie babies. It’s a stranger’s 11 month old.
I have to second what Carol said! A local orthopedic specialist told my neighbor that in his experience, about a third of the broken legs he sees in kids under 3 are from this same situation. A THIRD! Please don’t hold kids on your lap on the slide!
Oh, and the tummy thing you recommended seems safe and adorable