How to avoid treadmill danger around children?

With ever-increasing awareness about the health benefits of exercise, the treadmill has emerged as the most sought after home exercise equipment in the past few years.

The treadmill serves as an excellent alternative to expensive gym workouts and saves valuable time.

While treadmill proves to be a great value addition for achieving healthy lifestyles and fitness goals, what is alarming is the consequent increase in cases of treadmill-related injuries in children.

Let’s discuss how the treadmill poses great risks for your children’s safety.

A treadmill is a complex machine that requires careful maneuvering.

Any motorized treadmill is not engineered for children’s usage and hence it is recommended to keep your children away from it.

To understand the dangers attributed to a treadmill, you need to ascertain its risky components.

The moving belt

It is the riskiest component as far as young children are concerned. It causes numerous friction injuries when any part of the child’s body comes in contact with it.

The home treadmills comprise an exposed space between the track and the rest of the machine. This space entraps the fingers, hair, or clothing of little ones who carelessly wander or play around the treadmill.

The motorized treadmill is riskier than a non-motorized one as its belt continues to move till it is stopped using the stop button or the safety clip is dislodged.

In the event of any mishap, the moving belt won’t stop and inflicts greater injury to the trapped body part by exposing it to the injury source for more duration.

The Track

The children consider the track of the treadmill as their playable surface. They stand on the track, tinker with the buttons, power it on, speed it up, and zoom off its surface.

The Cords

When the kids get hold of the power cords or console cords of the treadmill that lie surrounding the machine, they give an open invitation to the accidents waiting to happen.

Don’t we remember the tragic treadmill cord accident of Mike Tyson’s daughter?

We need to remember the simple premise that the treadmills and kids are not meant for each other.

In the majority of the treadmill related accidents, the upper limbs of the children have suffered the maximum injuries.

The sites of small children climbing on the treadmill only to lose their balance, falling off it, and inflicting injuries, are very common.

The belt traps the little lovely fingers and hands of toddlers and infants. It may result in mild to serious injuries such as skin removal, burns, and even muscles tearing.

In some cases, the severity of the accidents had required even plastic surgery skin grafts or even amputations.

In other serious cases, the children got thrown off from the track and suffered from fractures, concussions, and other injuries.

Tips for keeping children safe from the treadmill

Even though the dangers posed by a treadmill are worrisome, you can easily keep your children safe and prevent treadmill accidents while maintaining your regular treadmill workout routine.

All you need is to stay alert, follow certain precautions, and apply common sense while doing treadmill workout when children are nearby.

Ensure to keep children away when doing a treadmill workout

The safest way is to keep your kids away from the reach of a treadmill when you are engaged in treadmill exercises.

You can largely avoid treadmill mishaps by restricting children’s entry into the treadmill area or avoiding their physical access to the machine.

Place your treadmill equipment into a separate room of your home and keep it locked when you are not exercising.

If it is not possible to lock the gym area, ensure it is accessible via a portable gate to keep the kids away.

Always try to place your treadmill in such a way that it faces your door so that you are aware when kids make their entry into the room.

Educate and train your older kids regarding its proper usage 

If your kids are older enough to use the treadmill, guide and educate them about using it properly.

Brief them about various safety precautions one must take before and while using a treadmill.

Make them aware of various dangers or loose ends that may cause accidents.

Always accompany them when they are doing a treadmill workout. Don’t leave them unattended under any circumstances.

Unplug the treadmill and store it safely

When not in use, ensure to unplug the treadmill, remove the emergency safety key, and store it properly in a locked room if possible.

Ensure that none of your kids access a treadmill without appropriate supervision.

You can also set a security password in some machines for preventing any unauthorized access.

Store the emergency safety key in the proper place that is not reachable for kids. It is used to stop the machine instantly in any unfortunate event.

Follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions

Once you have brought your favorite treadmill in your home, ensure to read and understand the manufacturer’s safety instructions in detail.

A running treadmill must never be left unattended.

Do proper and regular cleaning of the treadmill components.

Keep the power or console cords tidy and organized so that they won’t dangle freely around the machine.

These cords present the risks of kids succumbing to strangulation in their loops. Either affix them to machines or use clips to bundle them in one place.

Stay Alert during a workout

You must stay alert during your treadmill workout. Don’t get distracted by things that shift your focus away from the machine.

Always keep your phone, TV, water bottle, newspaper, etc in front of your machine. Don’t try to turn around to pick things when the machine is running.

Your baby may try to reach you while you are doing treadmill walking or running. Don’t try to hold them when the machine is operating.

Also, don’t try to get on and get off the machine when it is running. Allow it to stop completely.

If your kids want to get on the treadmill, ensure that machines get stopped completely before they step on it to avoid risks of falling and getting concussions or fractures.

Get non-motorized treadmills for your kids

Children always try to imitate their parents.

If your kids ask for a treadmill to engage in exercise at home, get them non-motorized treadmills that are relatively safer than motorized counterparts.

The non-motorized treadmills are designed as per stringent child safety standards.

The non-motorized treadmill does not feature a motorized belt. The children have to propel it by manually walking over it.

A treadmill is a complex piece of machinery that requires enhanced skills such as balance, focus, and experience for using it safely, young children are most vulnerable to any accidental injuries.

Every year, thousands of children suffer from treadmill accidents due to friction injuries against moving belts or trapped fingers, hair, and clothing pieces.

The good news is that the majority of such accidents are preventable by exercising proper supervision and taking certain precautions for keeping children safe from treadmill dangers.