I think it great to have some rules for the safety of all the children in the park. A couple of your items, however, would be sad to enforce, only because they are such great forms of exercise and therapy.

Going up the slide is a great way to build upper body strength and is also great sensory integration technique for calming and organizing the brain.

Going down the slide head first is a great way to stimulate the vestibular system (movement/balance center), which can also be calming and organizing.

However,I understand that it can be dangerous if there are a lot of little bodies in a small space. Therefore the first rule of watching your children is most important. Also teaching your child when and where to practice these skills would be awesome.

I am an occupational therapist who just happens to have a special needs child, which is why I thought I’d comment. Some children need the heavy work of climbing up the slide because they may be unable to do any of the other activities that have a similar result. Ditto for going down the slide, head first.

Just some food for thought.

AMEN! As a long time preschool teacher I have to enforce many of these anyway. If parents would do it too, it would make my life easier, and save a lot of injuries. I can understand the benefits of other slide uses, but when you have 100 kids on the playground it is not a good idea. I understand we all have a different comfort level at the playground, but some simple basic rules shouldn’t be too much to live with. I have to teach all my kids :On my bottom, feet first” for the slide. Even my own kids must follow what ever rules they have at school. Saves confusion.

The slide is a big one for me……nothing is more frustrating then watching someone elses kid climb up the slide after u have been teaching ur toddler “up the stairs, down the slide” only to have them have to move out of the way when another kid climbs the slide….especially when the kids parent was standing there hearing u repete themotto over and over to your kid and they just watc and smile as their kid climbs up disrupting ur son when he wanted to go down :-) a biggy I’m suprised was not mentioned: language and smoking! People think that just because they ae outside it is perfectly okay to blow their smoke around the kids. As far as lnguage that is one I have to monitor myself

How about “throw your trash in the trash can” and “don’t let your kids torture the wildlife”. People are so trashy where I live. The parks are littered with paper, soda cans/bottles, beer cans, cigarette butts, even used condoms. It’s so gross. As for the animals, maybe it’s just me, but I can’t stand to see kids throwing rocks at birds or squirrels, or just disturbing them in general. I teach my children to respect animals, even wild ones.

Gosh like everyone is talking about playground etiquette this week. My only one real rule is to watch your kid. And if you kid is over the age of 2 I don’t think that means you need to constantly follow them around.

http://beforethebabywakes.com/2012/01/o-p-p-k-aka-other-peoples-precious-kids/

How we use the slide when there is nobody else around is our business…. head first, climbing it…they learn lessons from it and get great exercise. How about… change your child’s diaper before the slide…. or explosion. Should explosion occur…. clean it up!

No smoking at the playground please, even if no kids around. My toddler was doing a great job picking up cigarette butts and trying to eat them.

Teach your kids manners… like no pushing, taking turns watch out for the little ones, big kids don’t need to rough house in the toddler zone, etc.

Pick up your doggie doo regardless of anyone being around.

Watch your bags and buggies. Thieves know you are distracted by your kids and happily walk off with wallets, cameras and purses. We usually do the parent buddy system as our children tend to make a run for it in opposite directions.

it angered me to read this to. Keep your sick kids away from my healthy ones, and in return i will do the same

Um no. Sorry but most of those ‘rules’ are ridiculous. For example, “watch your child”- as opposed to what? Going to Starbucks? Obviously parents are there to supervise, but I am not going to be watching my kid every second. Which brings me to ‘not being on your phone’. Well guess what? Being at the park is mind numbingly boring. So yes, I am going to read a book, magazine, or text. As a mother I can do this AND keep track of my kid. As for all the slide rules- nope. Its a PLAYground for goodness sake. And no skirts on the monkeybars? Because ‘someone’ might see your kid’s undies? Sounds like YOU are the perve. Nobody cares, especially not your kid. And the ‘no creeps’ rule? Who says who is a creep. If the person is doing something illegal then fine- call the cops. But sometimes single people just like hanging out at the park. It is a PUBLIC place. Ugh. So tired of these helicopter parents writing articles and assuming everyone feels the way they do. Well some of us are not scared of every little thing and let our kids be kids. Free Range Kids are awesome.

Please keep your big kids off the toddler playground. They play too rough around the little ones and pay no attention when they knock them over. I can’t hover or stay 3 inches away from my 2 year old all the time and shouldn’t have to if he is playing where he should be and behaving himself. It’s one thing if he’s on the big kid playground, he shouldn’t be there and that’s the place where he will get ran over so I make it a point to keep him away from there but when an 8 or 9 year old pushes my kid over so they can run up the toddler slide while my son is sliding down, it ticks me off. I address it with the kid rather than the parent because the parent could care less.