by C. M. Erickson

Created on: December 13, 2010

Sledding is a wonderful pastime for children, and is often the source of fond life-long winter memories. There is something magical about flying down a snowy hill, yelling at the top of your lungs, snow flying behind you, scarf flapping in the wind. While children rarely think of what work goes into a day of sledding, wise parents know that a little bit of forethought and planning can go a long way to ensuring their child's safety on the snow.

CHECK YOUR SLED

Give your sled a “once-over” before taking it out on the hill. Look for lose, cracked or rusted parts. If yours is a “turning” sled, make sure the parts are all functional. If you have a rope attached, make sure it is not frayed and the knots are still strong.

SIZE YOUR SLED

Compare the size and weight of your sled to your children. Young children have a hard time handling a heavier sled, and older children often to not fit on smaller sleds.  Young children can pick up too much speed on a large, heavy sled, and may not be able to stop it. Older children can accidentally catch clothing in parts of the sled if they are too large for the sled. If your sled is not the right size, consider sledding with family friends who have better-sized sleds, or make a trip to a low-cost store.

GAUGE THE HILL

While adults and older children can handle steep hills, younger children should have a milder slope. Just like ski slopes are rated from bunny to black diamond, putting your 4-year old on a “black diamond” hill might be a recipe for disaster. When in doubt, go down the hill first yourself. See, aren’t you a good parent?

SET THE EXAMPLE

Show younger children how to sled, and explain the importance of keeping your arms and legs up and out of the way until you want to stop. Show them how to stop safely. Offer to go down in with younger children together so they can learn how it’s done. This way you are being Parent of the Year, all while having a grand old time yourself.

MAKE SURE THERE IS ROOM TO STOP SAFELY

The perfect hill that ends two feet from a busy street is not a good sledding hill. Hills that end at streams, barbed wire fences, or thorn bushes are not good sledding hills, either. Look for room to coast to a stop, or consider building a snow berm at the bottom to catch your sledders (without it turning into a jump).

TAKE A LOOK AROUND

Try to sled on a hill you are familiar with, so you know what the ground is like under the snow. Keep an eye out for large rocks,

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