How safe or unsafe is it to carry toddlers on your shoulders?

[Anonymous]

Do you just have them hold onto your head while you hold their ankles?

[Anonymous]

Not safe. You have no way of knowing if they'll keep "holding on" or if they'll suddenly throw a tantrum and fling themselves backwards.

[Anonymous]

Depends on you and the child. If you are strong enough and your child had the strength and impulse control it's fine.

I hold onto hands or knees - more stability that way. If you are holding them they will not fall off, just potentially tip back.

[Anonymous]

My kids love shoulder rides. We typically hold their lower legs rather than holding the ankles. No safety concerns from our perspective

[Anonymous]

I do it with my toddler from time to time, but I hold his hands while doing it so that he can't pull backwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not safe. You have no way of knowing if they'll keep "holding on" or if they'll suddenly throw a tantrum and fling themselves backwards.

That doesn't seem like a risk to me unless you aren't ready for that possibility or aren't strong enough to hold them if they fling themselves backwards. Worst case scenario they would get themselves hanging upside down.

I carry my kids that way a lot, but I'm always looking out for things that are over my head that I might walk them into, just because I'm not used to looking at that height.

[Anonymous]

So not a risk, unless you're 85 and can't hold onto the kid. Both me and my husband do this all the time and our son loves it!

[Anonymous]

Read the thread on this from a few years ago and you will never do it again.

[Anonymous]

You hold on to their backs. Legs/feet means they'll fall backwards. Holding hands can mean they slip off and you'll twist their wrist/crush hands.

And as soon as you feel tense in your hands, arms, or shoulders, you bring them down.

I carry them about a minute or two and that's it. It's a treat, not a mode of transportation.

[Anonymous]

Geez give me a freaking break.

We carry our 2 year old son like this all. the. time. For long distances. In all kinds of scenarios.

My husband is normally the one to do it as it hurts my shoulders after a time. There's no risk. He has twisted and splayed and convulsed and he's never fallen.

Seriously people, get a hobby.

[Anonymous]

I'm not normally that risk averse with my kids, but I'm not comfortable doing this with my kids. Except for maybe a minute. I've read that a fall from that high could really be damaging. I'm always worried that I'll trip or something.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for being overprotective, but it's just something I'm not comfortable with.

[Anonymous]

What if you trip or otherwise fall?

[Anonymous]

I had no problem hoisting DC1 onto my shoulders for a ride: kid was light and held on tight. DC2 is a different story. Weighs over 30 lbs at 1.5 yrs and has low tone. Plus, my cousin's 3 year old fell off his 6ft3 dad's shoulders last year so I'm too creeped out by that anyway!

[Anonymous]

More details needed.
Is this a short 2 minute ride, or as you stroll around the zoo/park/festival/whatever for an hour or two?
Who's holding the child?
What age is the toddler? weight?

there are way too many factors.

I was giving my niece a piggy back ride when she was 5 or 6. She let go, on purpose, and thought it was a game. Wouldn't hold on again even though I repeatedly told her to. If my sister hadn't of been there to help me I might have dropped her.

True, it was a piggy-back ride and not a shoulder ride, but you don't know what a kid will do 100% of the time. Even if they have the strength and impulse control to hold on, it doesn't mean they will 100% of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More details needed.
Is this a short 2 minute ride, or as you stroll around the zoo/park/festival/whatever for an hour or two?
Who's holding the child?
What age is the toddler? weight?

there are way too many factors.

I was giving my niece a piggy back ride when she was 5 or 6. She let go, on purpose, and thought it was a game. Wouldn't hold on again even though I repeatedly told her to. If my sister hadn't of been there to help me I might have dropped her.

True, it was a piggy-back ride and not a shoulder ride, but you don't know what a kid will do 100% of the time. Even if they have the strength and impulse control to hold on, it doesn't mean they will 100% of the time.

But in your example, after the first time the kid lets go, you kneels down and have the kid get off. It's not that shoulder/back rides are unsafe, it's that the adult has to pay attention and let the kid down when it's clear they're done.