Olivia Burke
Parents have been warned to think twice before hopping on a popular outdoor toy at the playground after a little girl broke her leg due to a common mistake.
A playground is probably one of the only places where kids take the lead and the adults are told what to do - whether that's pushing them higher on the swings, picking them up to help conquer the monkey bars or going faster on the roundabout.
But mums, dads and guardians still need to make sure that safety comes first - as your little one could end up with a pretty traumatic injury if they don't use the apparatus correctly.
Parents have been served a stark reminder about the importance of protecting your children from unobvious dangers after footage of a young girl breaking her leg on a slide began to circulate online.
Tiny Hearts Education, ran by former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz and her sister Rach, shared the shocking video on Instagram in the hopes of encouraging people to reassess how they use a slide with a youngster in tow.
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The video - originally posted on Facebook - shows a toddler sitting on her dad's lap at the top of a slide in a park with her legs falling on either side of his, which doesn't initially spark too much panic.
But as soon as they set off, the parent quickly realises something is wrong - his daughter's foot had got stuck between the edge of the slide and his thigh, ultimately causing a break in her leg.
He immediately lifts her up in a bid to free her foot as they continue to slide downwards, but the tot had already been injured and she bursts into tears as soon as she reaches the bottom of the playground equipment.
People were obviously panicked by the upsetting footage, as many admitted they were unaware that there was a wrong way to go down a slide with a child.
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One said: "Oh my biggest fear. I won't let anyone slide with my toddler. I don't even think I'd try the safe way tbh."
Another wrote: "This is exactly how my one-year-old broke his leg going down a slide with my mum. Thank you for educating people on this."
A third added: "Worst nightmare!!!! That was so hard to see," while a fourth commented: "New fear unlocked."
And a fifth chimed in: "Omgggg. Gut wrenching! Didn’t even think that was possible. Hope the Bubba is okay."
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Tiny Hearts Education urged parents to 'please be careful' when going down slides with their kids, before sharing their top tips on how to enjoy all the fun at the playground without fear of your little one being injured.
Nikki added her own video onto the clip which showed her going down a slide with her young son to demonstrate how parents should position their kids.
She wrote: "Safer slide hold. Legs tucked in, hands tucked in. Your hands over both their hands and legs."
The caption to the chilling post also read: "Stray legs, fingers and hands can get crushed between the adult and the slide if not careful!
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"I’ve demonstrated the safe slide hold, a safer way to accompany your child down the slide that keeps their legs and hands out of harm’s way. Share this with another parent to help spread awareness of slide safety."
You heard the woman - get it in the parents WhatsApp group chat ASAP.