(KPLC) – Many families have been heading out to area parks to enjoy the sunny weather, but did you know playground equipment could potentially be harmful for young children?
Plastic slides, swings and even pavement can reach very high temperatures even in mild weather.
“If the parent is not able to put their hand of the equipment for five seconds without burning them or if they can stand having their hand down for five seconds then it’s okay,” nurse practitioner, Victoria McDaniel, DNP, FNP said. “If they can’t, then it won’t be safe for their children.”
At around 5 P.M., we put playground equipment at local parks to the test with a heat gun which measured 140 degrees on a piece of plastic playground equipment.
Children, whose skin is more fragile that an adults, especially when they’re under two, can suffer from second-degree burns without parents even realizing it. McDaniel offer some advice for parents. She said if they find that their child has been burned, to never pop blisters.
“If they are at the park, always room temperature water, not ice water or ice, because it can cause frost bite from going to the extreme hot temperature to the extreme cold,” McDaniel said.
“Ibuprofen or Motrin or Tylenol as well, or acetaminophen,” McDaniel said. “Something to help with the pain. The NSAIDs, like ibuprofen to help with the inflammation of the burn to also relieve that, as well as the pain.”
McDaniel said parents can practice protective measures such as making sure the child’s shoes stay on, wearing pants or sitting on a towel while going down a slide can prevent the potential for burns.