Kids on a Treadmill

[cin]

The girls were playing on the treadmill at gramma's house. And dd7 got her fingers caught in that area where the tread rolls back underneath. She pulled them out and she has 3 fingers that are skinned and we are waiting for X-ray results.

 

I was horrified and angry that MIL let them play on the treadmill. I think this is an example of loss of judgement due to her Alzheimer's. DH says that not everyone knows they are dangerous, and I am assuming that 'everyone is as smart as me'. This is NOT said in a complimentary tone. So I thought I'd ask the hive mind and see what the general consensus is.

Edited November 1, 2008 by cin
figured out the poll thingie

[Renee in NC]

I would never have thought of a treadmill as being dangerous and I never thought that a child would get their fingers stuck in that particular area (I guess they weren't using it as intended?)

[MicheleinMN]

I consider them dangerous and do not even like to have my dc around when I am using mine.

 

I'm not sure at what age I would/will allow them to use it, but I do know that I will require everyone (and I do use it too) to use the safety latch that hooks from the machine to your shirt, so if you slip it will pull out and automatically shut the machine off.

 

HTH,

Michele

definitely a nervous nellie sort

[Tammy]

I would never allow my kids to 'play' on them. They do use them for exercise though....

[Cheryl in NM]

I put with adult supervision, but I use an age limit also. I let my son on one at 10, but only when I was right there with him. They can be dangerous, as your experience shows.

[Deidre in GA]

a bathtub is dangerous without adequate training and supervision. perhaps not supervising them closely while around a running treadmill is to be faulted but sometimes people forget that young children stick their fingers in the strangest places. and sometimes we all forget that accidents do happen.

[dirty ethel rackham]

For me, the age of the child would depend on the level of supervision. For a child of 7, close supervision - as in right next to the machine ready to turn it off immediately if the child were to misstep. By age 12, after an introduction to the machine, the child should be able to operate it without too much direct supervision. Our "Y" allows children 10 and over to use the aerobic machines and weight machines after a mandatory orientation.

[WTMCassandra]

I would be upset too. However, many older people seem to have lost the sense of what's appropriate for young children. IMHO, any machine with moving parts not intended for children can be dangerous. Children "use" a machine differently from adults ; ).

 

I feel with/for you on this: My grandmother used to send my children gift-wrapped items with big "Not intended for children" tags on them! Try explaining to a toddler that they can't keep the gift they just got . . .

 

I think you're caught in a classic MIL/son/DIL bind. Your DH wants to defend his mother and therefore is refusing to grant that your concern might be legit. Also, your DH may not want to face his mother's mental issues. So I think those are things to be discussed between you rather than the fine points of whether this piece of equipment is dangerous.

 

I think the bottom line is going to be that one of you needs to be with your children when they go to Grandma's house. I'm truly sorry you're having to deal with this.

[CactusPair]

I think any exercise equipment poses a danger to kids. I wouldn't let my dc near a treadmill, even with supervision. I think you're right to be concerned. Glad your dd is ok.

[siloam]

The girls were playing on the treadmill at gramma's house. And dd7 got her fingers caught in that area where the tread rolls back underneath. She pulled them out and she has 3 fingers that are skinned and we are waiting for X-ray results.

 

I was horrified and angry that MIL let them play on the treadmill. I think this is an example of loss of judgement due to her Alzheimer's. DH says that not everyone knows they are dangerous, and I am assuming that 'everyone is as smart as me'. This is NOT said in a complimentary tone. So I thought I'd ask the hive mind and see what the general consensus is.

 

I am in the NEVER camp.

 

Despite training the kids to stay away from it, my ds did the same thing while I was exercising (curiosity got the better of him). In fact I even saw him and turned it off right before he stuck them in there. And he only wanted to touch it, but the belt still had enough motion to pull his hand down underneath it and take the skin off 3 fingers. What I mean is he touched the top and the belt grabbed his hand and pulled it with it down and around to the under parts where his hand was stuck between the belt and metal and he couldn't fight the force of the belt to pull them away. Now his fingers are fine, but we did move it to another room where I could close the door. I also had it fall on me. It is one that closes upright and compact. And once it when I closed it I accidentally rocked it forward (I don't know my own strength). It had locked, but the whole thing (base and tread) rocked back and fell on me. Dh now has it attached to a while, but I can envision a child getting between a wall and the treadmill and pushing it and having the whole thing go over. You would just hope a sibling wasn't on the other side at the time, KWIM? So I wouldn't even have one of the compact style in a room where kids generally play unless is it attached to the wall in some way.

 

Before those events I would have been in the "Only with Adult Supervision camp". Now I know that when something bad happens it does so quicker than you can imagine and react to, thus it is not safe for a child at all.

 

Heather

 

P.S. In regards to your MIL. I agree that a LOT of people have no discernment as to what is appropriate or not for children. The only way I would take it as the Alzheimer's is if you know she didn't approve of it when your dh was a boy, so their has been a change in her judgment, or if you continue to have instances where there are similar problems.

Edited November 1, 2008 by siloam

[6packofun]

Your kids' ages? Definitely not! But our 2 oldest kids learned how to use a treadmill safely at the Y during a strength training class when they were 12 and I feel OK about them using one now that they've been taught. Even so, accidents can happen with *adults* so kids under 10 or so would definitely be a no go for me.

 

Our pastor's 4yos run kind of wild and they don't have their treadmill locked or blocked off from them--one of them had skin sanded off of his face when he turned it on and fell!

[sweetfeet]

I would never allow my kids to 'play' on them. They do use them for exercise though....

 

This. My 6 year old can properly use a treadmill. I taught her how to turn it on, adjust the speed and use the emergency stop key that is tied around her wrist.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

However, many older people seem to have lost the sense of what's appropriate for young children.

 

I disagree with this. I think older people grew up when children were expected to use more common sense. There wasn't always an adult right there all the time to supervise every little thing the kids did. The kids were expected to know how to act and if they didn't act like they were supposed to there were consequences. They were also allowed to experience the natural consequences of doing that stupid stuff all kids try inevitably.

 

All that aside, my dd7 has been on treadmills before, but she is not very familiar with them because we don't have one. Even though she knows better than to play on one, I would still supervise her until I was sure that she knew how to operate it properly and had some experience with the different speeds, etc.

 

I don't have age limits on stuff like that. For me it's about maturity and amount of common sense, not age. In our house freedom comes with responsibility. You don't show the responsibility, you don't get the freedom no matter what age.

[sweetfeet]

 

I don't have age limits on stuff like that. For me it's about maturity and amount of common sense, not age. In our house freedom comes with responsibility. You don't show the responsibility, you don't get the freedom no matter what age.

 

Yes, totally. My six year old is very cautious for her age. She's just really mature and mellow(most of the time). I don't see her messing around. She has taken it very seriously when I have let her try it.

[rafiki]

.

[Donna]

I do not allow my youngest on the treadmill but my older two have been trained on its proper use and are allowed on it with the safety device attached (ours won't work without it). I am always in the home, usually upstairs when they use it, so I can listen to hear if they go too quickly but they haven't ever used it in an improper fashion.

[chaik76]

I didn't vote. I believe that treadmills can be dangerous if anyone (children or adults) don't know how to use them properly. Our son has been allowed to use ours since he was five...by 5 1/2 he was allowed on unsupervised. He knows what to do and how to do it, and we trust him. Plus, I truly believe (I've posted this before) that we over-shelter our children in America. I believe children are capable of far more than most adults let them do. It wasn't uncommon for small children to use movable farm equipment in the not to distant past (as a matter of fact, it's still not too uncommon around here). I think this has to do more with how we treat children and expect them to behave (i.e., we assume they'll get hurt), when in fact, it is often because we have not instructed them in how to behave properly around dangerous equipment.

Edited November 2, 2008 by chaik76

[Carrie12345]

I would be "other" and "other2." ;)

 

My treadmill won't move unless the key is inserted, so it never bothered me if the kids would go near it, because the key was kept on a shelf out of their reach. It was in my bedroom, and the kids were not allowed in the room while it was in use.

 

Now my treadmill is in storage, so I haven't thought much about it in a few years.

 

For actual usage, it would depend on the child. My 10yo is so uncoordinated that he will probably be safest avoiding treadmills forever! I do think a child should be able to hold the hand rails with their elbows at a comfortable angle, which would probably make my 6yo way too short to safely use one.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

Plus, I truly believe (I've posted this before) that we over-shelter our children in America. I believe children are capable of far more than most adults let them do. It wasn't uncommon for small children to use movable farm equipment in the not to distant past (as a matter of fact, it's still not too uncommon around here). I think this has to do more with how we treat children and expect them to behave (i.e., we assume they'll get hurt), when in fact, it is often because we have not instructed them in how to behave properly around dangerous equipment.

 

:iagree: I think this applies to household chores as well. It's much easier to teach kids when they are little and are more enthusiastic about learning and helping.

[katilac]

I don't think she should have let them play on the treadmill, but I also don't think it's neccesarily a lapse of judgement caused by Alzheimer's. I see far worse lapses of judgement regarding children every single day by people who definitely don't have Alzheimer's or any other issues, I assure you.

 

Your husband is both right and wrong: I would hope everyone has the sense to know that anything with a motor and moving parts can be dangerous, but it's VERY easy to forget what is and isn't okay for young children. My youngest is only 8, but being around toddlers is always a wake up call for me. I cannot BELIEVE how closely they have to be watched :lol:

 

However, if she has dx Alzheimer's, I certainly don't think she should be babysitting the children. Visting them, having them visit her, but not babysitting them.

[abbeyej]

I would absolutely expect a 6yo with *proper*briefing* to be safe around a treadmill. I certainly wouldn't let a child use one without very careful, hands-on supervision (and dire warnings about ever trying to use it alone). But I wouldn't have any qualms *at* *all* about either of my kids being around a treadmill at age six. And honestly, I wouldn't have had any worries about it at all at age 3 either, but recognize that that's a more questionable age and many (developmentally normal) 3yos might be in more danger around one.

 

Still, all this assumes that any child is given basic safety instruction and it's never turned on without adult supervision. With a safety key in use, I would even expect an older child (say 10ish) to be able to use a treadmill with an adult nearby (but not necessarily supervising every moment).

[Nestof3]

I didn't vote b/c neither seemed to express what I feel. I had a treadmill for years and I didn't let my boys on it. Well, I allowed them to see what it was like with me, but then they knew they weren't allowed to use it. Sure, they could have disobeyed, stuck the key in and used it, but that's a risk with everything.

 

I wouldn't let them use it at your children's age, or mine, though.