Children carried on their dad's shoulders.

POGS I remember going on The Mouse at Blackpool when I was about 20 or so (and should have known better . It was terrifying - just when you thought you were going to go hurtling over the edge it made a 90 degree turn!
And then I got stuck up on the Big Wheel for about 20 minutes because it stopped working.

I'm more of a scaredy cat nowadays.

In general, the higher up one's back a load is, the better for one's posture. Piggybacking always seemed to me to be a back and arm wrecking way to carry. You have to lean forward to balance the weight. Shoulder carries are much easier on the back if you've nothing to tie the child on with.

DD uses tie on wraps for her nearly two year old. They spread the weight over hips and shoulders and the child is perfectly safe.

Must start wearing specs....for a split second I read that as tie wraps and wondered how child was tied to its mum! I blame my current bout of ill health.

Correction to previous post ! Apparently it wasn't a 'sling thing' (thanks DD for correcting me, no change there then!) It is what's called a'kiddi-karrier' and the child can face toward the parent or, as he/she grows to face the way they're walking. This was the case in my example. Fortunately the only damage done was to the dads knees. Wonder if in later life he'll trace his wonky knees back to this incident, at least the baby's face wasn't smashed on the pavement which was the alternative.

dad's shoulders? I used to carry our children on my shoulders too.

I could never manage it. Always front ways for me. Used to carry clinging little son for miles - arms round my neck, legs clamped round my waist.

Would love those days back again.

Of course it has always been done but I have seen a number of children hitting their heads on doorways because Dad / Mum had forgotten they would be so much higher. I can see the reason when watching a parade or show but there are better ways to carry a child or better still if it really can't walk put it in a pushchair.

Don't start me on the carriers where babies are carried or tied on the front. Frightens me , especially after seeing a Mum with a toddler at her side ,slip in the snow. Baby and Mum were hurt and toddler terrified.

Pogs, when I was a teenager, I loved the Blackpool Mouse, but remembering what it was like, NO WAY would I even consider it now!

I remember reading about a tragic incident several years ago when a small child ran up to her dad as he was getting out of a helicopter. In his excitement at seeing her he swept her up onto his shoulders, and she was hit on the head by one of the helicopter rotor blades and was killed. Such a sad story.

The potential dangers cannot be blamed on sling wearers.
If you trip over over a baby in your arms they will still hit the ground possible with you on top of them. I agree though that shoulder height fall is potentially more serious.
I think there is a danger of over thinking these hazards.

If the parents hands are not full they might be able to save themseleves from falling more easily.

I am fairly sure that my back problems developed after I tripped downstairs carrying one yr old DS. I kept "running" to keep my feet under me and landed very heavily on my left ankle which swelled up and was bad for months after. DS was OK as I kept hold of him, probably automatically, and did not try to grab the handrail on the stairs.

I suspect that injury may have generated a stress fracture in my lower back that caused problems a couple of years and a pregnancy later.

Apparently my last ever ride on my granddad's shoulders was aged three, when he ran around the garden joggling me up and down on his shoulders on purpose. I wee'd down his back. Served him right.

Cringing here!
However, DSL carries DGS that way sometimes, my father certainly did it for me and my sisters and when you take into account the millions of times nothing untoward happens, it's all a matter of perspective.
I'm sure more accidents happen involving children in the home or in schools.

A trip caused a pregnancy later Neliiemoser- am sure I've read that wrongly!

I fell down the stairs with a 2 month old DD2 in my arms - just slipped on the corner and bumped down every step to the bottom.
She wasn't in a sling; I just remember holding on to her for dear life and hitting every step which resulted in a very bruised backside. DD2 was fine.

I guess everything has its dangers where small children are concerned. I recall my mother arriving at my house in a terrible state,many years ago because she had seen a mother bump a big pram down a kerb and the poor baby flew out and fell heavily to the ground.

One morning, my son, age 5 at the time ran happily in front of me towards the sweet shop and slipped on some autumn leaves. I remember being worried about the way he fell and carried him home and called the ambulance.

He had broken his thigh bone and the ambulance men said it was lucky that I had had the sense not to try and make him stand up. He was in hospital for 5 weeks with his leg in traction.

No way really that such an accident could have been seen coming. He wasn't running very fast.

You are all correct of course, accidents have always happened and always will. The only thing that's changed is me, as I've got older I seem to have developed a heightened sense of danger and can almost see it round every corner. Bit sad really.

Like me, I must stop or I will become a nervous wreck when DGC are around.

Perhaps it's because we are more aware as we get older, having seen a lot of accidents occur!
One or the other of us always seemed to have an accident within a day or so of arriving on holiday!