Swing danger

I was outside in my backyard just before quiet time today with the dc group. The oldest child was swinging quite eagerly...I stand close so as to keep the younger ones from passing in front, but a little one got behind him and basically got body-checked... i decided to take down the 3 swings i have and will replace them with trapeze bars, or climbing ropes... do you guys have swings up? any other ideas how to fill that space?.... my oldest dck is 4 and quite big for his age... he's bawling though that i took them down....

Personally, I think that's an extreme reaction. Kids get hurt and although we don't want it happening on our watch, it happens. I would keep them up and just do as you were doing to keep them from going in front. If we make things "too safe" the kids will be playing with nothing.

I took down the swings that came with mine and put up a baby swing and a tire swing ( it's a little tykes and it's a plastic square). I've had kids get hit before but it's usually not hard enough to seriously hurt them. I try to teach them that when kids are swinging they have to stay away from the front and back....of course some don't listen and have had to learn the hard way!

Just this year I got smart...I lowered the swings close to the ground. The kids can now get on the swings themselves( my back loves this!lol) and they are low enough that if a child gets in the way the damage is minimal and more to the body instead of head.

I don't think it's an extreme reaction at all. Swings aren't put on school or daycare playgrounds any more for this very reason. They are, in fact, quite dangerous and in ECE, they were considered a huge liability risk. I took them down at my old daycare location as well, after a 3 year old got kicked in the face. That parent was cool and understanding....lot s aren't. Best to be rid of them.

I HATE swings during daycare time!! LOL Between the two older ones constantly asking me to push me push me and the little ones who haven't quite gotten the whole "I'm gonna get it in the head if I walk in front of them swinging", it's enough to drive me batty! I usually take them down during daycare hours for my piece of mind and put them back up for my own girls. I don't replace them with anything....there's tons of other stuff for the kiddos to play with.

In previous houses we have done the safety margin by filling an area with mulch and you had to stay out of the mulched area if a swing was in motion and in another house the yard setup allowed us to put a short fence around across the area so you had to enter through the equivalent of a gate to get to the big kid area. Could also do the opposite and make a little kids only play area depending on which group you have is the largest or which age group your own kids fall into.

We have a swingset but it has the bench in the middle and two swings on side that are the rubber so even when you get hit it isnt' the same as getting clobbered by a wooden board as with wooden swings.

My kids love the swings!! I just teach the older kids to watch for the little ones. If the little ones are close by they must stop. I teach the little ones to stay away. Some kids need to learn the hard way and get bulldozed over.

I understand we want our kids to be safe but I think that is being excessive. Kids need to learn danger and if we bubble wrap everything they do they won't learn.

I agree, kids must be kids. Yes we must make sure they are safe but these things happen. It's part of learning. As long as it's not life threatening, they will be ok. I LOVED the swings growing up and my kids also love it.

Children are bubbled wrapped (using someone else's expression) from the parents way to much in my opinion and so I don't bubble wrap here. Swings for sure. Telling older ones to watch for the younger ones and helping the younger ones learn to watch what's happening around them. It only takes a month or less for the younger to learn. I have baby swings and rubber for the older ones.

Kids do sometimes get knocked over by the swing but that is something that anyone near the swings just has to be vigilant off. Kids are going to encounter them at the park also. The kids love the swings and they are fun for the kids. I sometimes think I just need a 5 swing person swing set in the backyard rather than all the slides and climbers because the kids seem to just fight about my 3 swings all the time.

Kids need to learn that things can hurt them.

I try very hard to protect the kids from the swings and create a safe zone but if a kid continually doesn't listen then I will let them wander close when someone is going very slow so that they get knocked into just a little bit and learn the danger is real.

Glad I'm not the only one that does stuff like that Spixie just so I can say See I told you so now next time listen and do as you are told.

I agree with Playfelt and Spixie. Children need to learn that there are natural consequences to their actions. I would not let a child get really hurt but sometimes a little ouch goes a long way to teach a lesson.

It's not true where I live that schools and daycares can't have swings. However, there are rules about how close they can be to other things such as climbers and fences. They also have to have so much open space around them.

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Originally Posted by cfred

I don't think it's an extreme reaction at all. Swings aren't put on school or daycare playgrounds any more for this very reason. They are, in fact, quite dangerous and in ECE, they were considered a huge liability risk. I took them down at my old daycare location as well, after a 3 year old got kicked in the face. That parent was cool and understanding....lot s aren't. Best to be rid of them.

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My kids have been through 4 schools so far, between relocating, then damm small towns with very few home schools beyond grade 6, French immersion transfer and then the whole reconstruction of the French and English school designations meaning another move, and every one of them has swings on them. Most school playgrounds are also public parks so I'm not sure where you have seen schools with no swings unless it is the catholic board but I know in Niagara and Halton Region most public school playgrounds have swings. Next they will want to take monkey bars out......I know numerous kids who have fallen off those and broken their arm but no serious injuries from swings.....painful no doubt but no visits to the emergency room that's for sure. If we take things away we may be preventing them from being hurt that way but not teaching them how to be safe as a result.

It will obviously depend on where you live but I have seen less and less swings at school playgrounds(and any new structures that are being built never have swings in them IME) and some have taken them all out completely and I've never seen swings at daycare centres.

I don't agree with it but I also can see why they have chose to decrease the amount of swings. I know a few people who broke their legs as kids jumping off the swings.

Thanks for all the advice...it's tough and i can see both sides, and know we can't bubble wrap kids. My own 3 teenage kids always had swings growing up and were slammed into next week, and i never worried about it as much as i do now with other people's kids...bad me.

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Originally Posted by ebhappydc

Thanks for all the advice...it's tough and i can see both sides, and know we can't bubble wrap kids. My own 3 teenage kids always had swings growing up and were slammed into next week, and i never worried about it as much as i do now with other people's kids...bad me.

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I think that's a huge part of the concern though, they are not our children. It's not that we care less for our kids, goodness no, but the liability of caring for someone else's child is huge and accident or not, if a child gets badly injured it is our ass on the line. I have swings and am just cautious and keep a close eye on the kids but I ultimately control the swing anyway so if there are little ones playing on the play structure I don't push as high so if they get bumped it's not like they are being hit with the force of an 8 or 9 year old who has really got the swing going.

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Originally Posted by ebhappydc

Thanks for all the advice...it's tough and i can see both sides, and know we can't bubble wrap kids. My own 3 teenage kids always had swings growing up and were slammed into next week, and i never worried about it as much as i do now with other people's kids...bad me.

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I know what you mean. There are things I don't allow my dck's to do that I do allow my cousins(which are my godchildren and I treat them like mine lol) or would allow my own (future) children to do. As an example, I would allow my own children to play in the backyard without me directly in the yard for a period of time. I would never allow this with my dck's though because if something were to happen, it is on me. There are plenty of things like this and we just need to take the precautions that we feel are right. If you think taking down the swings is the best approach to this, then so be it. It's your dc so do what you think is right :)

I feel like we are getting so worried about our children playing ! We may be bubble wrapping soon !!! I get it ! I do , who hasn't seen someone run across and get hit by a swinger ! It's sad ! It hurts ! Most of the time , thankfully they live without severe injury . In a backyard and at the age you mentioned , I don't think I would pull the swings . I think it's a lesson we all learnt !
I am very much a hover mother with my last child ! Def !! And I treat my ducks pretty much the same , but I'm getting better at realizing kids fall , get hurt and heal !
So my advice would be keep the swing but as mentioned it's your dayhoke , do what makes you feel more comfortable :-)

Really like the idea of explaining the rules of playing near the swings to the kids. Any more feedback on this?

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Originally Posted by PumpkinQueen

Really like the idea of explaining the rules of playing near the swings to the kids. Any more feedback on this?

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I would consider spray painting a box around the swings on the grass. This would be the "danger zone" and only the children on the swings can be in it.

I think removing the swing is rather extreme. Bottom line - it's a life lesson that each person needs to be aware of their surroundings and take common sense approaches to avoid situation where the chance of being hurt is high. i.e. walking in front or behind a moving swing!

I would put the swing back, and simply remind children who get too close that they need to move. Smaller children who don't understand simple instructions need to be removed/distracted/re-directed if they get too close.

You can bet there will be times when the children go to a park with their own family and they need to know to give the swings a wide berth. If they don't then guess what, they'll learn the lesson the hard way once they land on their butts a few times.

Children get hurt - that's how they learn to be careful. As long as you are showing due diligence in the safety rules about not walking too close to a moving swing, they will either learn via your instruction or they'll learn the hard way. That's life really.