How safe are today’s water toys?
By JAMI KUNZER
Once upon a time, water toys consisted of maybe a hose and a water gun or two. These days, you can literally create a water park in your back yard.
But how much is it going to cost you and just how safe is it going to be? Inflatable water slides, ranging in cost anywhere from $200 to more than $1,000 depending on their size, seem to be the biggest trend.
Because they’re rather new, developed within the past five years or so, safety standards for the slides remain in the works, says Patty Davis, spokeswoman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
“There’s electricity and water and of course, they don’t mix,” she says.
The commission’s most recent estimates show that in 2007, 4,981 emergency room treated injuries were associated with the inflatable water slides used in the back yard. Those estimates do not include swimming pool slides.
“Obviously, they should keep the kids away from the motor and cover up the chord,” says Kirk Achenbach, owner of Home Childproofing Solutions, Inc. in Poplar Grove.
“Parents should enforce rules on no pushing and waiting your turn while using the toys, and spikes should be placed deeply in the yard to avoid stepping or tripping on them,” says Dr. Michael Gronberg, a pediatrician with Centegra Health System.
The slide also should not be placed in a spot in the yard where obstacles, such as trees, and landscape walls, could get in the way, he said.
“Water, height of toys, the spikes used to anchor the slides, the rough housing are all potential issues,” he says.
As for Slip ‘N Slides, first created by Wham-O in 1961, the commission’s original recommendations still stand.
“Adults and teens should not use them,” Davis says. Because of their height and weight, adults and teenagers who dive onto the slides might hit and stop too abruptly causing spinal cord injury, the commission states. That’s not to say children can’t enjoy them.
“The biggest thing is to pick them up when you’re done with them,” says Jessica Manning of Natural Lawn of America in Woodstock. This goes for pools as well.
Pools actually are more of a safety concern than anything else, and always have been, says Achenbach, a distributor of Protect a Child Pool Fencing Systems.
Most towns require fencing around in-ground pools, but inflatable pools and those that don’t necessarily require fencing are growing in size and can be dangerous, Achenbach says.
“If it’s out in the open, they have to watch their kids or put a cover on it and secure it (when it’s not being used),” he says.
It is estimated that about 300 children under the age of five drown in swimming pools every year in the United States.
More than 2,000 children under age five require hospital emergency room treatment after being submerged in residential pools.
Along with constant supervision, the American Red Cross flotation device and inflatable toys not be relied upon, children should be enrolled in water safety courses and it is recommended parents take a CPR course.
