Prohibited games that are dangerous to health. Don’t play like this with your baby

«Carousel», «bicycle», «plane» — although popular, they can pose a serious threat to the health and even life of our children. However, this is not the end of the list of forbidden games. In the case of a toddler, even a quiet walk can end with a visit to the surgeon.

1. The basic principle of playing with children should be caution
2. Violently shaking the stroller or tossing a baby can seriously damage the brain, known as shake baby syndrome, which can be fatal in the worst case.
3. Playing “airplane” can also damage the spine
4. Too quick attempts to learn to walk or sit, as well as playing “bike” may work hip dislocation
5. On the other hand, while playing the “carousel”, when we grab the child’s hands and spin quickly, we expose them to a wrist injury or a shoulder joint dislocation
6. More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page  

The basic principle of playing with children should be caution. And it’s not just about buying teethers made of the right rubber or securing all the corners of the furniture. A moment of carefree forgetfulness while a parent is playing with a toddler can sometimes lead to a real tragedy.

Shaking the baby

Trying to calm the baby down by shaking the stroller would prove fatal. The jerky movements can stretch your muscles or rupture your tendons. At worst, it can also seriously damage the brain, known as shaken baby syndrome, abbreviated as SBS.

This syndrome mainly affects children under 1 year of age and, in the worst case, can lead to death. An infant’s brain is extremely susceptible to injuries. When the head shakes violently, the inside of the skull can dislocate the brain, rupture blood vessels, and cause small and major bleeding.

However, SBS is not easy to detect as it does not cause any external injuries. In some cases, a child may develop respiratory and circulatory problems, seizures or coma.

The most common symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome include:

1. apathy,
2. lack of appetite, weaker sucking reflex,
3. reluctance to raise the head,
4. no reaction to play, no babbling,
5. vomiting
6. trembling.

Symptoms of the syndrome can also be noticed in older children, even up to the age of 5. For example, a child may develop more slowly than its peers and may have trouble concentrating or remembering.

«Plane» – dangerous fun

A similar situation can also lead to the popular game of «plane», when we throw the child up.

Apart from SBS and possible hitting the ceiling or falling to the floor, when suddenly tossing and catching the child — as in the case of sudden braking of the car — the spine or internal organs may be damaged.

In toddlers whose head is not yet fully stable, such play may in the first place risk stretching the muscles and tearing the tendons.

Playing “bicycle” harmful to health

Cycling may be recommended by orthopedic surgeons when treating hip dysplasia. The feet should then be turned very gently and carefully. However, exercise becomes dangerous when the movements we make are too jerky. Then we can lead to dislocation of the hip joint, i.e. displacement of the femur.

Learning to walk too fast

Trying to sit or walk around is also dangerous for the child’s development. In this way, enormous pressure is exerted on the baby’s spine, which is not yet protected by muscles, which can lead to its strain.

A fun «carousel» not for young children

Not only the hip joint is extremely delicate. When, while playing the “carousel”, we grab the child’s hands and spin around our axis, we are in fact exposing our child to a wrist injury or a shoulder joint dislocation.

A similar injury, commonly known as the nurse’s elbow (de Chassaignac disease), can also occur during an apparently leisurely walk with the child.

We go forward, hold the child by the hand, suddenly the toddler stumbles, and we … instinctively jerk him upwards to prevent him from falling. An attempt to save may, unfortunately, end with a visit to the surgeon.