Does your toddler love you swinging them by the arms as you walk along? Here’s why you shouldn’t do it
THIS common childhood game often results in a painful injury
SWINGING your toddler up in the air while walking along is something most parents have done and kids love it.
But there’s a very good reason that you shouldn’t.
While everyone loves the game, those squeals of delight could easily turn to screams of pain.
That’s due to an injury called Pulled or Nursemaid’s Elbow – which is extremely common and horribly painful.
The condition is caused by toddlers being swung by the arms, which causes the elbow bones to be pulled out of the joint.
According to NHS advice, the injury occurs in children under four because the ligaments – which hold bones together – are looser and the bones are yet to be fully formed.
This means bones can slip in and out of place more easily with a surprisingly small amount of force.
Other actions that can cause Nursemaid’s Elbow are:
Pulling a child up by the hands – even pulling up a toddler by the hands after changing a nappy or playing on the floor can cause the injury.
Jerking their arm – That panic-stricken moment when you grab your toddler to keep them out of danger could potentially cause a pulled elbow. Remember to be gentle when taking a child by the hand
Holding their arm or hand to prevent a fall – If your toddler starts to tumble, reaching out to grab a wrist could do more harm than good.
Pulling arms through coat sleeves - Every parent finds putting coats and jackets hard to put on little ones, but gently does it. Even this can end in injury.
Rolling over in an awkward way. Sometimes rolling over in a crib, bed, or on the floor can cause pulled elbow in infants and very young children.
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If suffering from Nursemaid’s Elbow, the child will be in pain and unable to move their arm properly and needs to see a doctor immediately.
A doctor or trained nurse can pop it back in with no long-term effects and children usually grow out of it by the age of six.
But be warned, if it happens once it is very likely to happen again and if one of your children is prone, chances are all of them will be.
