Do you let your DC climb up slides in the park?

[rosie79]

My ds who's 3 has always been really into climbing (like most kids this age!) and for as long as he has been able to has climbed up slides in parks as well as sliding down them. He always waits his turn if it's busy and doesn't climb up if someone is about to slide down. I have always let him do this as I know that he knows his own limits and has yet to have any accidents, he is careful. Our parks are rarely very busy either. However, I have often heard other mums say to their kids as they try to climb up the slide "no dear, go up the normal way" or the "proper way" or similar words to this effect, or worse "you'll get the slide dirty" !! So their shoes doen't make it dirty if they slide down?! .
It doesn't bother me what other parents let and don't let their kids do, that's their choice, but to imply that my child is doing something wrong or abnormal and give me funny looks or say stuff extra loud so I hear them, that's annoying!! surely in playgrounds children should be able to use the equipment however they choose to, exploring and being adventurous? Isn't this what childhood is all about? With a bit of adult supervision it isn't dangerous. Am I on my own in feeling like this?

I have never climbed up a slide. I cannot be alone!

No

agree with Rosie that children should be able to explore and be adventurous, do make them use the slide in the conventional manner when lost of other children using it howvever

Having two boys they want to clim everything !!
let children learn their limitaions in a safe enviorment with adult supervision.

Beeter clim up the slide at the playground than try and clim up the bannister rail at home and fall onto a wooden floor !

Can never rember climbing up the slide as a child , as someone said they were pretty big in those days !!

I think I attempted to climb a slide a couple of times as a child but didn't much enjoy it, they were bigger then as others have said, and I was quite a cautious child...unlike DS

I agree with you mummydear, let children learn their limitations in a safe environment...

my ds has attempted to climb the banisters before, he put some sofa cushions under him though, I thought that was quite clever (it is carpetted too btw). He only went about five steps up before coming back down though and hasn't attempted it since!

in response to OP

yeah seems natual - trees too - trees are there to be climbed - however sadly one now gets an asbo for such behaviour

Much preferred climbing up to sliding down. In fact I think I used to go down the steps. I did slide down the bumpy slide in Hastings though. That was GREAT!

Sorry - haven't read all thread. I discourage my children from climbing up the slide chute if there are other people in the park or if it is muddy. Walking up (or down) a slide can make it considerably more dirty than sliding down it on your bum (granted - edges of shoes touch the slide).

Also, playgrounds are about more than just physical freedom to learn - they teach children about taking turns and taking other children that they may or may not know into consideration, whilst going about their play. I reckon its fine to climb up a slide if there's no one else in the park and its not a wet day or muddy, but bad manners to do so when there is a queue of children waiting to slide down.

i climbed up those big slides in the 70s! but i have 2 brothers and lots of male cousins so was a bit of a tomboy and climbed everything and fell out of trees/ off slides and into lots of streams was always coming home wet and muddy!

dd was climbing on everything before she could even walk! she climbs on everything in the playground, i generally find her in the over 7s bit at soft play she is not even 3 yet! she probably holds the other kids up a bit there as it takes her longer to climb but she is happy and the fall out if i told her she couldnt do it would not be worth it! im sure i would get more disapproving looks for a screaming brat than for a child that is being adventourous

and seeing as i work full time i cant take her to the park / soft play when its quiet it does tend to be busy at the weekends. but she is good at waiting her turn and will tell other kids its your turn now

I'm a big believer in playground etiquette so no climbing up if other kids around.

Now, where do you stand on the going down head first conundrum? Dh thinks I'm anal and that ds should be able to do what he likes, but I am imagining head injuries. I wasn't allowed to do it as a kid so can't work out whether my opinion is due to conditioning or good sense.

OMG dd is only 4 months, not doing swing parks yet but after reading this i'm not sure i ever want to!!

it's ok if you live in the country, dizzybint.

I can go to the park with ds in this village pretty much any time of day and have next to zero chance of seeing another toddler there.

teenagers sitting on top of the monkey bars smoking - yes, toddlers - no.

Greensleeves, was that the grin emoticon you were giving in your last posts or the gritted teeth one?

265 posts on whether it's OK to let your kids walk up slides or not. Only on Mumsnet

Do we have any strong feelings about bark chippings? Ds2 hates it at the park when other children fill up the bouncy jeep with bark chippings. He tuts and tuts to himself til he has swept them all out again with his hands.

i live in leeds carolina. maybe save parks for when we stay at grandma's in the lakes then

Head first, feet first, tummy or back all fine by me. The quicker they're down the better.

You may well be a bit anal werewabbit.

I agree with all those that say they shouldn't be climbing up them. I didn't let my dd, tbh I think those that do let them obviously do it for an easier life.
My ds fell off a very small slide (only 3 steps) at age 20 months because another boy climbed up the wrong way. He wasn't happy at that and when I looked at the child he didn't come over again. His mother was too busy talking with her friend!

Agree with pointyfangedwarewolf, ds can go down the slide whichever way he wants to, he's very much into trying new ways of sliding down, sometimes makes me a bit nervous but the landing area under slide is usually softish!

I once saw a 4 year old jump off a step and land funny and break his leg,while other kids leap of greater heights and are fine, so I guess accidents can happen even when kids are playing quite 'safely'.

marthamoo, thats exactly what i was thinking!!

I think its ok to use play equipment anyway they want, they arent kids long and there are enough rules already!
I watch my child and if i see others wanting to come down id move mine, simple!

Oh My God

please tell me there aren't 274 messages about the correct way to climb a slide.

please.
please.
please.

whispers to blu - was it the playground in Dulwich Park?

A good place to spot over supervised children and their parents, so I have to steel myself before entry, but the cafe and cycle hire make up for the (at times) wince-making correctness of the playground. IMO of course.

Jimjams, been thinking about that awful mother in the park on and off this afternoon. Can only suppose, in her defence, that she thought she was helping you in being firm about letting her dd have a go and making your ds wait his turn. How wrong she was! I hope, when she saw how your ds stayed on the swings just a minute, she felt remorse. And hope she is kicking herself for not saying something to you afterwards - hope the memory stuck with her.