Allowing kids on exercise equipment

MommaRou56

I saw this as part of another post, and it concerned me greatly: "My 3 year old gets on my elliptical and says, 'I'm exercising Momma!'" This was included as a "good feel" comment because the child was mimicking the parent in exercising. While I do think it's important that our children see us exercising by example, can I just ask you please to NOT let your children get on ANY exercise equipment? They are made for adults (or at least children over the age of 12 or 14) who have the agility, coordination and larger hands/feet to handle this. I work for an exercise equipment manufacturer, and we see injuries all the time from children whose parents let them play on the equipment. Please, please do NOT allow your young children to play on these machines. They are NOT TOYS! And if you've never read the manual, you'll see the warnings posted on the actual equipment itself. Don't think I'm being harsh; I just want to avoid some heartache for so many of you and your children.

ninerbuff

For this reason we don't allow any kids under 16 in our freeweight/machine areas. Kids DO get hurt on machines that are not made for them.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

KiltFuPanda

Is it okay if I let my 2 year old pick up a 15 lb kettlebell and walk around with it (under close supervision, of course)? He gets a kick out of it and always runs over when I bring it out.

He and I play around a lot (like pushing around the 10 lb medicine ball) and he loves to "test his strength" by pushing against my hand or roughhousing. He's been like a baby ox since birth, and we made games out of mobility exercises the whole time. Now he's wanting to copy me by throwing things caber-style (two hands, throwing overhead) - so we've been thinking up random things for him to do that aren't dangerous, and the kettlebell walk was one of them (the KB is more for my wife to use, so we didn't buy it just for him - he just grabbed it and walked around with it as soon as I brought it home.)

MommaRou56

I would be really careful about allowing him to carry around a kettlebell. If he were to drop it, it would probably CRUSH his little fingers or toes, which would not only be painful but may be next to impossible to fully heal correctly. I just always tell everyone that these items are for adult use and not toys for kids. I work in the legal department at my company, and I've seen some pretty sad things -- permanent type things -- when parents allowed their kids to play with exercise equipment.

KiltFuPanda

I would be really careful about allowing him to carry around a kettlebell. If he were to drop it, it would probably CRUSH his little fingers or toes, which would not only be painful but may be next to impossible to fully heal correctly. I just always tell everyone that these items are for adult use and not toys for kids. I work in the legal department at my company, and I've seen some pretty sad things -- permanent type things -- when parents allowed their kids to play with exercise equipment.

Fair enough - as I said, he only gets to touch it under close supervision, but it's likely I'll stop allowing him to do that.

DontStopB_Leakin

I would be really careful about allowing him to carry around a kettlebell. If he were to drop it, it would probably CRUSH his little fingers or toes, which would not only be painful but may be next to impossible to fully heal correctly. I just always tell everyone that these items are for adult use and not toys for kids. I work in the legal department at my company, and I've seen some pretty sad things -- permanent type things -- when parents allowed their kids to play with exercise equipment.

Fair enough - as I said, he only gets to touch it under close supervision, but it's likely I'll stop allowing him to do that.

My son (now 3) was abnormally strong as a two year old. He still is. At the end of the day, your his mother. You know what he can handle. I let my son play with my brother-in-laws 20 lb medicine ball (under close supervision, of course) and he was fine. He never dropped it, never hurt himself or anyone else, just carried it around like a teddy bear. Some people might get upset at me letting him do that, but I know my child and what he can handle better than they do.

In regards to letting them use actually equipment or free hand weights, no no a thousand times no.

purplegoboom

That, and I would even be hesitant to let teenagers use equipment. So many think they can use a machine like a toy to perform "cool" tricks.

When I lived in an apartment complex there was a small gym there the residents could use, with some machines. No one under the age of 18 was allowed in. One night, I was using one of the treadmills and in walks a boy (he looked 16, but could have been 18. I didn't say anything because for all I know he's there for some exercise.)

He then proceeds to PLACE A SKATEBOARD DOWN ON THE OTHER TREAMILL and gets on it, and his hands start to go toward the controller. Enter flaming voice of death from me:

"That is NOT a toy and you will NOT be using this machine in that manner. You WILL hurt yourself. Children are not allowed in here so LEAVE. NOW."

Kid didn't waste a second and hightailed it out of there. Shortly afterwards the locks were changed on the exercise room, and if your child was caught in there you were severly fined.

auroranflash

Very valid point, thanks for reminding everyone. I can only imagine the kind of cases you have to deal with... *shudder*

KiltFuPanda

At the end of the day, your his mother.

That would be a VERY interesting end of the day, since I started the day as his father!

(Not being mean, I just fell over laughing at the idea of that.)

gwengogreen1

small children can jump on the little trampoline equptment or pick up the super tiny like .5 lb weights or do yoga... elypticals and treadmills are too far thouh...

gwengogreen1

i think the age of 11 is fair...

purplegoboom

At the end of the day, your his mother.

That would be a VERY interesting end of the day, since I started the day as his father!

(Not being mean, I just fell over laughing at the idea of that.)

LOL

Annette_rose

I agree. It is cool at our YMCA that in the workout room they have these very small, brightly colored exercise equipment just for kids. It is roped off and the staff has to show the parent and child how they are used. I just never saw adult equipment come kid sized like these.

chocolateandpb

When I was a kid, my younger brother was messing around on our parents' treadmill when they were out and a babysitter was watching us. He couldn't have been older than 4 or 5 at the time. He was playing on the treadmill and turned it on, and ended up falling, and got BAD road rash (treadmill rash?) all over his face and neck. He's very lucky he didn't end up with permanent scars.

Coyla

It depends on the equipment.

At the gym I go to, some of the equipment is really dangerous. Used incorrectly, and it could result in serious injury or loss of limb.

However, we take the Keep Kids Safe thing a little too far. Kids are going to get hurt. They may drop a 3 lb weight on their toes.They may get their hands slammed in a doorway. They may trip and bump their heads. They may fall off a bike. This effort to keep them 100% safe is making children more prone to sit inside all day and play video games. Since, you know, playing outside on a swing-set or running around may result in a scraped knee or a stubbed toe.

sydnisd183

I would be really careful about allowing him to carry around a kettlebell. If he were to drop it, it would probably CRUSH his little fingers or toes, which would not only be painful but may be next to impossible to fully heal correctly. I just always tell everyone that these items are for adult use and not toys for kids. I work in the legal department at my company, and I've seen some pretty sad things -- permanent type things -- when parents allowed their kids to play with exercise equipment.

Fair enough - as I said, he only gets to touch it under close supervision, but it's likely I'll stop allowing him to do that.

i dropped a 10 lb. plate on my foot about 2 hours ago and it smarted like hell so i probably wouldn't let a little guy have a 15 lb. one

they have some cute little 2lb. kettlebells online maybe he could get one of those :happy:

that's cool that he wants to emulate working out, i would probably do some jumping jacks, air squats, pushups with him for a few minutes (hey that's a few extra cals burned for me LOL)

auroranflash

At the end of the day, your his mother.

That would be a VERY interesting end of the day, since I started the day as his father!

(Not being mean, I just fell over laughing at the idea of that.)

"............ you'll never BELIEVE the day I had....."

TeachTheGirl

My son loves doing primals with me. Body-weight exercises only for my 5 year old. =B

PlunderBunneh

I would be really careful about allowing him to carry around a kettlebell. If he were to drop it, it would probably CRUSH his little fingers or toes, which would not only be painful but may be next to impossible to fully heal correctly. I just always tell everyone that these items are for adult use and not toys for kids. I work in the legal department at my company, and I've seen some pretty sad things -- permanent type things -- when parents allowed their kids to play with exercise equipment.

Fair enough - as I said, he only gets to touch it under close supervision, but it's likely I'll stop allowing him to do that.

Maybe fill a gallon milk jug with water for him to carry around. Heavy, but soft enough that it won't crush little toes if it gets dropped.

PlunderBunneh

It depends on the equipment.

At the gym I go to, some of the equipment is really dangerous. Used incorrectly, and it could result in serious injury or loss of limb.

However, we take the Keep Kids Safe thing a little too far. Kids are going to get hurt. They may drop a 3 lb weight on their toes.They may get their hands slammed in a doorway. They may trip and bump their heads. They may fall off a bike. This effort to keep them 100% safe is making children more prone to sit inside all day and play video games. Since, you know, playing outside on a swing-set or running around may result in a scraped knee or a stubbed toe.

Nobody is saying don't let your kids play outside. We aren't concerned about scraped knees. This thread is concerning exercise equipment, and the dangers that are posed by letting children use said equipment improperly.

MommaRou56

Most exercise equipment for adults has written warnings to not allow any children under 12 and, in some cases, 14, on the equipment. As far as carrying around a milk jug filled with water, I remember (from another job I did years ago) that a gallon of milk weighs 8 lbs., so I'm guessing water would weigh somewhere in that same area, depending on the density of that liquid as compared to milk. And if it were dropped, you'd just have to mop up water and not worry about a crack in the child's toes or on the floor. I don't believe children should be protected from playing outside, but I do believe we should protect them from permanently hurting/scarring themselves on equipment that was never intended for their use. Someone else spoke about a "rash" her brother got from falling on a treadmill. I've seen cases where little children ended up with third-degree burns, requiring skin grafts, and some amputations of little fingers from getting caught in the small spaces on the treadmill -- much too small for little hands. So I don't think that's being overly protective; that's being a good parent.

recoiljpr

I make my children do dead lifts and un-supervised bench presses for punishment. Should I not be doing that?

MommaRou56

I make my children do dead lifts and un-supervised bench presses for punishment. Should I not be doing that?

Ha! Ha! You do bring up another good point, however: allowing children on weight equipment or failing to put it away where they can't get to it. We've had cases where a young child tried to lift the weights on his own and ended up dropping it across his throat and died before his sibling could get help for him. And some children will crawl up on the equipment and can get strangled by the wires or other things hanging from the equipment. How many of you remember when Mike Tyson's daughter died on the treadmill a couple of years ago? Apparently, the safety cord was still attached to the machine, and his 4-year-old daughter climbed on it and got tangled in it. The best choice is to really have a locked room for your equipment and, if not, always put away the safety key (if the machine has one) and unplug the machine. The last two pieces of advice are good for it even if you have it in a locked room. And if your machine will fold up, do so and make sure you have latched it correctly so it doesn't fall and hurt someone.

dhiammarath

There's a family at the gym I go to who lets their 12ish-year-old "exercise" on the machine. He treats it more like a toy and ends up breaking one, moving onto another, breaking it, then moving on to another. I've seen him do this so that all the treadmill machines are reading "Error". Then he moves onto the elliptical. I have no idea what he's doing except I've seen him jump, dash, jump side to side, jump and twist and all kinds of stuff while "exercising".

His family? No where to be found, or they're ignoring him.

So, children should not be on equipment in a gym environment unless they're supervised by a knowledgeable adult. Because regardless of how annoying it is to see this kid "riding" one pedal of the elliptical up and down while kicking out his back leg, he could actually get hurt.

zoom2

Keeping kids from dangerous equipment that is not designed for them is no different than making our kids wear helmets while using wheeled toys (and adults should be wearing them, too...broken brains can't be fixed) and fencing pools. It's not discouraging our kids from being active, it's protecting them from grave injury or death.

MommaRou56

Keeping kids from dangerous equipment that is not designed for them is no different than making our kids wear helmets while using wheeled toys (and adults should be wearing them, too...broken brains can't be fixed) and fencing pools. It's not discouraging our kids from being active, it's protecting them from grave injury or death.

If I could hit a "like" button for this comment, I would.

Spanaval

I allow my 2 1/2 year old "help" me with weights. She wants at the heavy stuff, but is restricted to Barbie weights for now. I am guilty of not putting this stuff where she can't reach it, but I've never put anything out of reach, just supervised sufficiently to make sure she didn't get into trouble. She is very cautious by nature, which helps tremendously.

DavPul

I make my children do dead lifts and un-supervised bench presses for punishment. Should I not be doing that?

Absolutely not!!! Make them try to cross the freeway unsupervised instead. That's what I do with my 5 year old. Usually after a few crossings she learns her lesson.

Ironically the last time I did this, it was because she was playing on the treadmill. I TOLD HER NOT TO DO THAT! Now go play in traffic!

twinmom1993

please be careful.. lifting weights(any size) for a child under 12 can cause a hernia...

LaurySch

Um, yeah, I agree, we've bubble wrapped our kids to a certain degree and I try to make sure my kids know my limits and theirs but part of that is testing limits so that they don't grow up scared of anything and everything. Little kids at home under careful supervision and being taught the rules and why the rules exist is cool with me - they're your kids not mine. Unsupervised and carelessly supervised kids at public places bugs the @$%! out of me. If my kids are told not to do something and then I explain why they are not supposed to do something and they still do that something and end up getting in trouble (or even hurt) are learning that there are consequences. Yep, I'm mean and uncaring.

And I wish I'd thought of dead lifts and unsupervised treadmill runs when my kids were young enough. :indifferent:

AnninStPaul

This is the only reason I have pink weights -- the smallest ones I could find, so that my then 5 year old could be like mom and not get hurt. She's now 9, and wants to use the treadmill, but that's a big "no" until she is 12.