Family Days: Playground Safety

This week the metro, the Daily News, and the Times ran stories about the dangers of overheated playground safety mats. These days playground burns are increasingly common and two of the papers share the story of an infant who suffered second and third-degree burns from a mat at Carl Schurz Playground that reached 166 degrees. Warning: If you’re squeezy about looking at pictures of burns, do not click on any of those links.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much of a solution for moms of children who suffered burns. Some are suing the city, but none of the cases have gotten very far in the courts. Adrian Benepe, the commissioner for of the Department of Parks and Recreation, advises against walking barefoot on the mats. While I agree, I also know that kids will be kids. Somehow, someway, a random body part will be in contact with the mat. I also like the idea of canopies or more shaded playgrounds, but as the nearly 100 comments on the Times piece proves, that’s merely a suburban wonder.

What do you think? What are your favorite playgrounds in the city? And do you have any playground stories; injury-related or otherwise?

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