Baby Dies After a Game of Airplane

Who hasn't played airplane with their baby? Be honest. Hearing them squeal with delight is totally worth the ache in your arms. But watching somebody else do it always brings out the nervous nelly mom in me. If you think I'm overreacting, read on.

A father in England has been cleared of any foul play in the death of his six-month-old son. As far as pathologists can tell, Daniel Dowling likely fell on little Paisley Brown during a game of "aeroplanes." The boy's parents are both eighteen, but I wouldn't pin this horrible accident on the inexperience of teens parenting. I've done it. So has my husband, my brother, my father and my mother. My fifty-something-year-old boss delights in picking up my daughter and throwing her in the air – a practice she's grown to love more and more as she's gotten older.Through it all, she's earned nary a scratch.

So does this give you pause? Would you say no more "wheeeeeee" with the baby? Or is this just a sad, sad accident that, when put in perspective, is just as likely to happen as your baby getting hit by a bus with you tomorrow?

Image: MercySake