THE WARMER weather has finally arrived, which means millions of parents around the world will be taking their little ones to the park.
But now one mum has issued a stark warning after a common thing parents do left her poor tot with a serious injury.
The mother, Kiersten Beth, revealed that her partner was going down the slide with their son on his lap – but soon the seemingly safe and innocent activity turned out to be a visit to the hospital.
The now-viral video, which has racked up over a staggering 6.8million views in just four days, sees Kiersten’s partner putting the little boy on his lap before going down the slide in a park.
However, as the pair quickly approach the end of the slide, the son’s left leg suddenly gets stuck between the side of the slide and the dad’s leg.
This meant that impact of landing at the bottom caused the little leg to flip backwards – and the poor tot immediately started crying.
According to Kiersten, from the US, their son suffered ”a broken leg” and now has to wear a cast.
Sharing the horrific injury on TikTok, the mum wrote: ”Just want to bring some awareness to the danger of going down a slide with your child in your lap.
”Sliding down a slide with a child on your lap is considered unsafe and can significantly increase the risk of injury to the child, particularly leg fractures, broken legs or ankles!
”It is best to let the child slide alone on an age-appropriate slide, or if you choose to slide with your little one make sure to have the child centered and hold the child’s arms tucked in and legs held up!
”We had never heard of this happening! The guilt we have is sickening, we wish we knew better.
”It’s something innocent and suppose to be fun but unfortunately we had to learn the hard way! Please pray for our sweet boy!”
Watching the footage back, where you can allegedly hear the dad saying ‘He broke his foot’, Kiersten said she felt ”sick”.
”We had no idea or heard of this happening but it is pretty common but there’s also so many parents who were also unaware!”
The clip, uploaded just a few days ago, has taken the internet by storm, as over 2,700 people flooded to comments in sheer shock.
Can parents be prosecuted for leaving kids on their own?
THERE is no strict law, but parents can be prosecuted for leaving their kids alone in an environment which puts them at risk.
And if they are found guilty of neglect, they can face a fine or even a prison sentence.
Leaving your child alone in a car can also result in prosecution.
If you leave children alone, or even with a friend, while they are under the age of 16 and something happens, you could be liable for both children — not just your own.
If you’re looking for an alternative, consider whether child care is an option for you.
Even though it might seem like a good idea, don’t leave your children with one of their friends the first time they are home alone, as this can encourage dangerous or bad behaviour.
If you don’t trust your child by themselves, they shouldn’t be allowed to stay home alone, especially with a friend to accompany them.
One mum cried in horror: ”Worst feeling in the world accidentally hurting your own baby.”
Someone else felt sorry for the little one, writing: ”that snap made my stomach twist. poor guy.”
A fellow mother thanked for raising awareness, as millions are now playing outdoors.
”I appreciate your transparency and posting this to create awareness!” she said.
”Never would I have thought of this happening, totally an accident! I hope he recovers quickly!!”
A viewer commented: ”Seeing dad’s face drop broke my heart. 99% of the time you don’t know it’s dangerous until something happens, please don’t feel too guilty dad!”
