Sharon Stone Sued By Former Nanny
Crocs and escalators are a dangerous mix
Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, Decor
Every spring, I get the same note from my sons' schools: please, the note begs, do not send your child to school in Crocs. The kids tend to fall when they wear them to run and climb, and the playground mulch gets in them and makes the kids crazy. Please send your child to school in closed-toed shoes suitable for play.Makes sense to me.
Apparently, though, Crocs won't just slow kids down on the playground; according to an ABC News report, Crocs can pose a serious threat to children riding escalators. The rubbery garden clog-like shoes can become wedged between the moving stairs and the side of the escalator, often trapping the child's foot.
Chloe Johnson, a 10-year-old from Kansas City, had exactly that happen to her at the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport last year. "Chloe said, 'My toe, my toe,'" her mother, Kay Hopkins, said. "And we took the Croc off and seeing the blood and seeing her toe - it was frightening." Chloe's injury was fairly mild, but other children have had more serious injuries. James Yuen, a plastic surgeon at Arkansas Children's Hospital, says, "Imagine that you are taking a child shopping and out of the blue their foot is mangled, trapped. Can you imagine a child stuck for almost an hour? It is a very traumatic event."
The ABC News report points out that it's not only Crocs that pose a danger on escalators, but any soft, pliable shoe, including flip flops. ABC News also reminds us that while approximately 245 million people ride escalators every day, only a small number of Croc-related incidents have been reported. However, for parents of small children, especially kids who love their Crocs, it is something to keep in mind. No matter what kind of shoes your kids are wearing, they should stand in the middle of the escalator step and not drag their feet along the sides while riding. Very small kids should be held by an adult on an escalator. And you should always keep in mind that every escalator has an emergency shut off button, just in case.
But you still might want to leave those Crocs at home.
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
RelatedVideos
-
Choosing Diapers: Cloth or Disposable
It's a concern for any new parent – what kind of diapers to buy. These days there are more options than just cloth or disposable. Green Living Expert Terri Bennett shows you how to find the right fit for your baby.
-
You've Got Dr. Phil's 3 Top Parenting Tips
In this edition of You've Got, Dr. Phil offers three of his best parenting tips to maintain harmony in the household.
-
How to Speak Sign Language with Your Baby
Sign Language is a groundbreaking way to communicate with young children that is impressing parents everywhere. By introducing basic elements of sign language at an early age, you can not only accelerate the speech development skills of your infant, but keep in closer touch with their needs.
-
Toddler Talks Marketing
A toddler shares her opinion on how toys are marketing to girls and boys.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 4 of 4)
4-13-2007 @ 6:01AM
OOH RAH or HOO AHH said...Wow, thanks alot america. Should I find a new job now? I just started working for Crocs in their new distribution warehouse in Denver yesterday. Seems i can't win for losing or lose for winning. I knew i should've reenlisted back into the Army even though I'm a Marine first.... and went back to Iraq. We americans are to cruel to each other. Hmmmm what would the man upstairs do?????
Reply
4-13-2007 @ 9:41PM
G said...Your report is irresponsible and sensationalist. As a person with mild cerebral palsy, these are shoes that i can wear that actually stay on my feet, give me the support i need and give me comfort. Because my right foot does not bend the way other's feet do, its rare I can wear a clog. The crocs stay on my feet. I can even run in them. As several other readers have pointed out, the safety issue on escalators is inherant with any loose shoe but the benefit is that the crocs would rip before causing great harm. I hope Crocs file suit against you for slander and just bad journalism.
Reply
4-13-2007 @ 9:16AM
seanmgowens said...I would think any plastic shoes would pose a threat, expecially to small children who do not weigh as much as adults, to slips, falls even getting wedged in escalators. I say to the parents crocks are great for the garden and even frolicking around in the dirt but keep them off the feet of your children when venturing into such places as the mall, airports...well you get the idea. This article does not single out crocs but happens to make you aware that certain children happened to be wearing crocks while in these particular arenas.
Reply
4-14-2007 @ 9:49PM
Pat said...It seems pretty obvious that the people criticizing Crocs have either never worn them, or have bought some cheap knock-offs. Crocks do not smell, in your closet or anywhere else. If you're worried about walking out of them, flip the strap back to use as a heel strap. Nothing tops them for comfort....do you think they actually look worse than Birkenstocks?
Reply
6-14-2007 @ 4:49PM
Elaine said...Do I have the world's only 2 year old that is able to safely and comfortably walk in Crocs? I have no idea what the others are talking about whose children seem to have some kind of problem in them.
Reply
6-14-2007 @ 4:53PM
Elaine said...I thought dangling shoelaces on escalators were far more dangerous.
Reply
6-19-2007 @ 11:11AM
Karen said...Unfortunately, most parents do not know the danger of escalators. Many escalators carry warning signs that warn of using the escalators with any soft soled shoe, that includes SNEAKERS!
A boy I know was seriously injured on an escalator while riding wearing SNEAKERS. His foot was severely mangled and he needed multiple surgeries to repair the damage He was NOT misbehaving at the time. He was riding the escalator with his mother and holding her hand.
So, lets not assume parents are lazy, just ignorant of the dangers.
Reply