Baby On Ice! OMG

[Query]

At a busy public session today, a gal had her little baby (less than a foot long, I think, which probably means close to new borne) in a papoose.

The woman moved like someone who has been skating a few months, but she didn't move like an expert skater.

I asked what she would do if she fell. She said she would try to fall backwards or sideways.

OMG.

I didn't have the authority to tell her to get off the ice. But the figure skating director told her that the rink requires everyone on ice to wear skates.

P.S.

OMG

[jbruced]

Common sense isn't so common, as the saying goes.

[Neverdull44]

Where was the ice monitor?  The rink should have called the cops.  The child was being placed in imminent danger.

[Meli]

There's a lot of stupid out there.

[PinkLaces]

There is a guy that skates after his kid's lesson with the other kid approx 1-1.5 yrs in his arms. He swings this kid around. He thinks he is awesome skater, probably played hockey at some point. Skating director sees him and does nothing. Head injury waiting to happen.

[SynchKat]

Wow crazy.  I refuse to carry a child on the ice and I have been skating for 35 years and I'm more stable on skates than shoes.  There is just too much that can go wrong unexpectedly that the risk isn't worth it.  Maybe because I have skated forever I understand how easily something can go wrong.mm

[iomoon]

Uh... the earliest you should do this is when they're able to walk.  Even then, they have double bladed skates for toddlers. Man, that's scary.

[AgnesNitt]

I've seen a woman, a pretty good skater, carry her daughter, swing her around and then fall on her. No damage but she was lucky.

[pegasus99]

I volunteer as a Rink Guard for public sessions, and I'm always amazed at Parents who are unsteady in skates pick up and carry their kids when they fall and cry. What's even more amazing are the responses I get:

"But she fell..."
"Yes, but if you both fall it's going to be a worse tragedy."

"I know how to skate. I'm fine."
"I just watched you faceplant into a hockey kid."

Or my favorite is the eyeroll/huff/mean glare and comment to the child, "This person says I have to put you down..."

Yes, the Big Mean Meaniehead... That's me!! 

[lutefisk]

So dangerous.  I also see a lot of ice tourist adults "skating" while carrying small children in their arms during publics at our rink.  In this age of law suits at the drop of a hat I'm amazed our rink and city haven't (yet) been taken to the cleaners.  Sadly, it's just a matter of time before some kid gets seriously injured.  Even sadder is that this type of skating injury is totally preventable.

[alejeather]

At one rink where I skate, the DJ goes over the rules on weekend publics. He always gives the warning not to skate while carrying a child, and adds "You could fall forward and crush the baby, you could fall backwards, the baby crushing you." It's an amusing little way to bring attention to the rule.

[Query]

I don't worry if a skilled adult picks up a 9 or 10 year old kid and swings him/her around, and isn't too close to other skaters. The child is likely more resilient than the adult, and may be fine if the adult isn't too many times the child's weight. Likewise if a rink guard or other skilled skater(s) pick up someone who is too injured to make it to the door themselves.

But a relative newbie with a new born?

[Gabby on Ice]

You should never carry a child on the ice. That's really dangerous...

[FigureSpins]

I think that a very-experienced skater can carry an injured child to safety, but other than that, it's a terrible idea.  No one should be allowed to do it just for fun.  It encourages less-skilled parents to copycat, which could be a disaster.

Can I say that skating with a baby in a chest/back carrier is even more absurd?  I've actually butted in and asked rink managers to intervene when I've seen that happening.

[davincisop]

When I was a rink guard, I constantly had to tell parents that they couldn't carry their kids. They could hold them up on the ice so their feet just glided to the door, but their feet had to remain on the ice.

My favorite was the parent who got on the ice in his sneakers with his kid on skates. We had a no shoes on the ice rule and I told him so and he says "But he can't skate." Ok, then go put on skates and THEN help him. "But I can't skate either." Then maybe you shouldn't be on the ice.

Immediately following him another guy got on the ice with sneakers. That night was not fun. "Well that guy was doing it"
Ok, so if he went and dove off a bridge, you'd do that, too?

[pegasus99]

I personally hate, hate, HATE double runner skates on public sessions. IMO, those things are more dangerous than "real" skates. There's this darling little girl who shows up on publics, and her mom INSISTS that she can't skate in actual skates and constantly has her in those stupid double runners. This poor thing is trying desperately to jump and spin and do crossovers like the big girls... and she's just killing herself with falling.

I told the mom, "You know, she might do better in real skates..."
and the mom looks at me like I'm just the dumbest person on earth and says, "Shecan'tholdherselfupinrealskatesandithurtsmybacktoholdherupsheisFINEthankyou." And she skates off without another word to me. 

Later on the little girl came over and held my hand for awhile and we chatted about 4YO things... the mom looked FURIOUS and told her to come over by her... LOL!!

[kiwiskater]

I saw this at my rink this week!! I noticed baby ended up in the arms of coaches at one point (the public session is at the end of adult skate school), I wondered if this is a parent showing off the kid to friends who had never met them, but they were skating around a very crowded session weaving in & out around the crowd. I couldn't believe my eyes! IMO its not worth the risk, we all know how easy and unexpected a fall can catch you unaware...

[Neverdull44]

I learned to skate on a lake in double runners.  Worst thing in the world.  When I switched to single blade (upon reaching my first ice skating rink and group classes), I cried and cried and cried.  I could not skate!  But, that quickly left and I learned how to skate in single runners.  There is no need for double runners.  If the child is too young to hold himself erect on ice, then the parent should wait a year and retry.

Every parent who wants to carry a child on the ice, needs to see the video/picture of Tatiana Totmianina after her pair's fall. 

[sarahspins]

There is no need for double runners.  If the child is too young to hold himself erect on ice, then the parent should wait a year and retry.

I wholeheatedly agree with this - I've seen some VERY young toddlers skate just fine (in fact there is often a 2 year old on the ice with his siblings at my rink - he's too young to take classes, and I suspect that by the time he is 3, he'll be well beyond the scope of snowplow), and plenty of 4 and 5 (and some 6) year olds who lack the coordination to stand up at all.  It's just different for everyone.

[Schmeck]

I agree with all the OMGs! And I thought the guy at last week's public session was dumb - but he was teetering around on the ice with just his cellphone in his hand, not a baby!    I was so tempted to ask him what he was going to do with the phone if/when he was falling - try to put it in a pocket, drop it on the ice, or hold on to it? Any which way would have smashed that thing to bits. And of course the part that would trouble me would be the plastic and metal bits stuck to the ice...