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One of the most challenging aspects of parenting is that you need to determine what is right and wrong for your kids based on your own judgment. As first-time parents, you are heavily dependent on what other parents have been doing to encourage your kids to do things. While everyone wants the best for their kids, we are often guilty of pushing them into activities that are actually harmful for them. Here in this article are a few everyday things we must stop our kids from doing right away. Read on to know them all.
1. Permitting Them To Participate In Risky Sports
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Kids who participate in sports reap many health benefits, but a list of high-impact activities should be avoided by younger kids. American football, hockey, martial arts, kickboxing, wrestling, and rugby are the ‘big 6’ sports that forensics expert Dr. Bennet Omalu recommends staying away from. Neuroscientists worry that these activities involve repeated hits to the head, and may risk brain damage (1).
2. Providing Them With Tablets (Especially Toddlers)
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Children nowadays spend more time sitting in front of electronic displays like tablets. Since electronic displays generate blue light, doctors advise parents to limit their children’s exposure to them as much as possible (2). Headaches, neck and arm pain, dry or sore eyes, diminished attention span, and bad conduct are among the physical indicators of overexposure to blue light. It can also mess with their circadian rhythm, leading to sleepiness and exhaustion.
3. Allowing Them To Sit On Your Lap On The Slide
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When taking kids to the playground, most adults believe that sitting kids on their laps while sliding is the best option for everyone’s safety. However, that can lead to toddlers breaking their legs at the playground.
4. Playing The Chubby Bunnies Game
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Children love to play the ‘Chubby Bunny challenge’ with their parents, in which they stuff more and more marshmallows into their mouths while repeatedly saying “chubby bunny” as clearly as they can. Unfortunately, although this challenge is especially appealing to children so they can eat their dessert of choice when the game is done, numerous cases of choking have been reported.
5. Standing On Chairs
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This is a leading cause of injury in young children. Children can’t be stopped, and they will climb any object they can, including a chair. Concussions and other forms of head trauma are prevalent among children due to falls from high chairs (3). Experts recommend that parents buckle their children into their seats at the dinner table rather than letting them stand and keep a close eye on them as they eat in case the child gets up and knocks over their chair.
6. Digging The Soil
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The dirtier and grimier they become when playing outside, the happier they are. However, the location of their activity is essential since dirt and digging can pose serious health problems for kids. Lead’s toxic effects on human health are the primary factor (4). Lead is a poisonous metal that can cause irreversible brain damage and other serious health issues.
7. Trampoline Jumping
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Kids of all ages love jumping about on the trampolines many parents have put in their backyards. This amusing and seemingly harmless leaping device poses significant risks to kids. Injuries like fractured bones, concussions, and more severe trauma that can cause lasting brain damage or even death are all common results of leaping on them (5).
8. Letting Them Mow Your Lawn
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Whether being pushed or driven, lawnmowers are massive, robust equipment that poses a risk of injury to curious kids who get too close to observe how they operate? You don’t want your baby around this because of the risk of injury.
9. Using Outdoor Equipment To Climb
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Children love going to playgrounds, but adults must remain vigilant to ensure their children make it back home safely. More than 200 thousand children in the United States annually visit emergency rooms after suffering injuries sustained on playgrounds; some of these injuries become fatal (6). The act of ascending typically triggers them. Even while it may seem like an excellent way to get some exercise and have a good time, climbing is really a significant risk factor for both minor and major accidents.
10. Bicycling Without A Protective Headgear
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It’s no wonder that riding is a popular pastime among kids; it provides them with the freedom, independence, and enjoyment they crave. However, children, in particular, need to learn that bicycle riding may be hazardous if done carelessly.
Kids will be kids, and even under your careful supervision, they are bound to have accidents. But again, this should not scare them from trying out new things. Of course, you must be there for your kids to hold them and catch them as they fall, but they should never feel too scared or timid to explore the world. So, what is the most dangerous thing you did as a kid? Let us know in the comments section.
