Mind your back.. kids put one in 5 of us in hospital
CARING for children can be bad for your health, a study reveals.
One in five grandparents or parents needs hospital treatment after being hurt looking after kids.
And one in three carers strains their back or pulls a muscle. This is usually by picking up children from highchairs and car seats or carrying them on the shoulders, healthcare firm Bupa also found.
The pain forced one in four to take to their beds and the average four injuries adults suffered each year led to 1.3 million lost working days. Men were more likely to suffer back or muscle pain, with a third needing time off work, compared to 10% of women.
Six in 10 said toddlers were more demanding than work and almost half said tiredness from lack of sleep was partly why they failed to pick them up properly. Bupa’s Damian McClelland said bending, lifting and twisting while caring for kids takes a toll.
He said: “Learning how to carry a child properly reduces the risk. Alternatively, hold the child across your chest or in a carrier, which spreads the weight.”