No babies, kids take their shoes and parents let them keep them off. When were outside the kids have shoes on always!!

PARENTS, those pictures are so sad they are making me cry, why are people so irresponsible

It's common sense that BLACK RUBBER would be too hot for bare feet in the summer. Plain cement is too hot for bare feet. My light green wooden front porch is too hot for bare feet.

The park should have up a warning sign, but the parents are pretty lacking in logic thought patterns if they didn't at least check the black rubber before putting their kids on it.

these picture make me cringe. burns are so painful and parents should be looking out for potential dangers even though you don't expect something like this to happen.

And the park's in a no-win situation. They replace it with something that won't get as hot, and I bet they get complaints that it doesn't protect a child in a fall. Besides, what's "safer" in the heat? Aside from wood chips, which wouldn't allow for bare feet either.

That is really sad. But it is the parents at fault. I can see that they might want to consider posting signs for the future, though.

they should at least have signs posted stating the dangers of no shoes. poor babies!

Where is the option for "both"? There are other options for that black rubber matting used for safety, many parks in Seattle use this cushy bouncy stuff (sorry, don't know what it is called!) that is a light blue color. Not as hot. But, the parents are to blame, too, cuz who DOESN'T know that black gets hotter than anything in the sun? And why would you let your kid run barefoot at a playground? There could be all kinds of things laying around for them to step on and hurt themselves and they wouldn't have the traction they needed for climbing around on the play equiptment without shoes anyway...

Yeah I wanted to say both also.

Poor kids, I can't believe the parents would think taking shoes off was ok. The blue cushiony stuff is VERY expensive, most parks cannot afford equipment and that surface. The choices left are the black, hot matting. Wood chips that kids can pick up and put in their mouths or sand which hides garbage and all sorts of yucky stuff. Not a whole lot of choices for the park.

who the heck lets their child run barefoot on a public playground? seriously! Although the parks should probably replace the matting with something less sensitive to the heat, parents shouldn't let their kids run barefoot anywhere but home!

Whoa I would never guess that it got THAT hot, 168 degrees. What sad pictures.

Considering blacktop gets sticky and melty in the summer, 168 actually sounds low for what I'd have estimated a black rubber coating would be.

I am in shock that people actually voted that it is the park's responsibility. I agree with faerymagic, kids should not be barefoot at a playground. Who knows if there is broken glass or something sharp on the ground that could also injure them.

I voted for the park department. My kids wear their shoes to the playground and I tell them to keep them on but that's not always the case; sometimes they take them off and run away before I have a chance to put them back on. Burns happen in a matter of moments. The ground at a playground should never get that hot. That's too hot to even sit on with clothing!

The playground should be kid-friendly and shame on who ever made the decision to use blacktop, but parents are ultimately responsible. I have seen parents let thier kids run barefoot on concrete and blacktop that has been sitting in the hot Texas sun well into the afternoon. I wouldn't touch it with my bare feet - I just don't understand how they can allow their toddlers to run free on it.

It's not blacktop. It's a black rubber that absorbs impact to make falls safer, and it's commonly used in parks.

I saw this in the news yesterday and the park does have a sign that shoes must be on at all times. Apparently the mom didn't see it.

Thats terrible. Its definitley the parents fault, I wouldnt even let my dog walk on the hot concrete on a summer day let alone let a child run around on any bare surface in the sun. At least the park has cushiony stuff for when the kids stub their toes and tumble over and what not.

I'm assuming that it took only seconds to burn their feet, no? So what if a child was running with shoes on, but stumbled face-first onto the rubber mat? Ouch!!! I definitely side with those who say it's the parent's responsibility, but I'm really blown away that they'd have something like that to begin with.

I've never let any of my 3 kids run around barefoot at a playground, and I live in deep south Texas where it is HOT, and I still wouldn't imagine that sort of horrific damage from being barefoot on those black mats. Those poor kids.

Living in San Francisco, we don't have many issues with our parks getting too warm, but I was AMAZED that the material could get that hot. One of the lil boys pictured WAS wearing shoes while he played. While his caregiver cleaned out his shoes, his bare feet touched the ground for just a few seconds and were burned that badly. In my opinion, that is ridiculous — especially in a kid-friendly environment.

These pictures are really sad. Especially since one kid had shoes on for most of the time and the burns happened in a few moments.

I voted Park Dept, but i should've voted for OTHER. I think it is the responsibility of all parties involved. I am a nanny and i will let kids run around barefoot, but only if i test it on my bare feet first. In San Francisco it doesn't usually get all that hot, but the few days it does im always careful. One of the girls i babysit always wants to take her shoes off, so i always test the ground, in my case sand or rubber, usually with my hand, but more often with my feet. I think everyone has to be careful no matter what. I think the park department is partially at fault, but at the same time so are the parents. It's not like the rubber gets up to that heat everyday of the year, in moderate weather it is probably fine, but of course they don't take into consideration weather extremes. Is it the park departments fault if someone falls on ice in their parks during the winter? i don't think so. We should always be cautious.

"his bare feet touched the ground for just a few seconds and were burned that badly"

I'm with LiLRuck... what happens if a kid falls on his/her face? Little kids also catch themselves with their hands...
Oh this is horrible!

I agree that parents are responsible for making sure the kids' shoes stay on, but no one can catch every stumble and fall.

all the kids at our parks are barefoot, but maybe because there's water play (??) our parks have a rubber surface that looks like brown pebble and doesn't get hot. those pix of burned baby feet are very sad. it seems obvious that little kids don't like sand in their shoes and take them off. and yeah, what about falls? what a bad choice for a ground covering at a play ground, the park dept blew it.

I've been on the surface numerous times and even when it's 105 outside, I've never gotten a burn from stumbling and landing on my knee momentarily.

I have trouble faulting the park.

OMG! I see the votes are really close in terms of who the responsible parties ARE or should be. I cannot/WILL NOT fault the park. Would you allow your baby to walk around in a grocery store with NO shoes on? Just think of all the filth and other potential hazards lurking on those floors. This is where boundaries come in. As the parent, my position with even a toddler (in this case);if you cannot keep your shoes on, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY at the park! If you remove your shoes, we're leaving. PERIOD.
Hell, think of how hot your damn seat belt in your car is when it's HOT outside and you're attempting to strap yourself in after coming out of the mall. Not to mention the steering wheel and the seats.
Common sense is a great thing when you USE it!!!!!!!!!!

hmmm,,.. how about.. BOTH! a playground should be safe for kids but a parent should also be responsible for their child.. they shouldnt assume that because its a playground, that it is safe.. though it is rather moronic to use a product that will burn the bottoms of childrens feet off!!!!

In NYC a lot of the parks have sprinklers. Kids can run out of the sprinklers onto the black surface and burn their feet.

Also, little kids fall a lot and can just as easily burn their hands.

As someone mentioned above, I won't even let my dog walk on rubber like that during the summer.. I think it's common sense to have a child keep their shoes on.. It's a PUBLIC location, it's not the parks responsibility to play the role of a parent.. It's the parents responsibility, and public places, especially parks are not places parents can use to mentally check out.. It's their responsibility to be aware of what's going on, and supervise their child just as they would at a swimming pool...

It's not like the swing set fell apart.. Anything will burn a child's feet if exposed to the hot summer heat, that is why they make shoes.. I played on asphalt as a child, cement, and rubber and ALWAYS wore shoes.. ALWAYS. At parks I always wanted my shoes on because I hated stepping on things when running around...

It's just common sense, wear shoes outside in the summer. Don't let your child run around outside barefoot. Their feet will burn at a park, a swimming pool, a water park, etc. It's SUMMER, sun screen and shoes are essentials.

PARENTS

My son's pediatrician has told me at every visit for the last 2.some years that he is to always have shoes on when outdoors. There could be a bee, burning cigarette, etc
Especially at a playground, how dumb

I wanted to put both too. Kids should have their shoes on but they can still burn their hands if they fall. I think I'm more surprised they make playgrounds with black rubber. All the playgrounds where I live have wood chips.

I live in California, and I go to the park almost every day with my sisters or my nephew who is turning one this Saturday. I actually play with them and know that playing with shoes on is no fun at all. You cannot climb as well with the shoes. I let them play without the shoes. I personally think it’s not bad for a child to be exposed to a few germs; it can help build their immune system. If you don’t let children explore and find what is best for them-even if it involves the decision of wearing or not wearing shoes- they don’t learn to make decisions for themselves. Of course no one is at fault here because public playgrounds aren’t made to be safe for every child. What is safe for a 5 year old may not be safe for a toddler or a baby. It just means the caregiver needs to be more involved in the playground. Both sand, blacktop, and other materials listed above heat up throughout the day and there are always parks that have lots of trees, so maybe finding one that offers the shade of a tree would be a better option.

I'm disgusted that black rubber is covering the ground at playgrounds, yes the parents are at fault for not insuring that the children know the dangers of taking off their shoes, but children FALL... thank goodness it was only his feet. it takes 3 to 4 SECONDS to suffer a second degree burn... at least according to the articles i read on this topic yesterday. i would also bet that the chemicals emitted from that overheated rubber are far more toxic than anyone cares to know... and i found myself very DISGUSTED that the toxicity wasn't even THOUGHT of by any of the reporters or even parents in the articles i read.

disgusted

Those pics make me feel sick!!!

PARENTS first and foremost!!!!!! If they can't do their job well maybe a park employee could remind kids of the importance of shoes.

What parent lets their kid play on black tarmac without shoes in the summer??? IDIOTS!!!

I thought of the toxins too, roxtarchic! At temperatures that hot who knows WHAT is being released. I guess I don't understand why they would choose the black rubber as opposed to something like wood chips?

Please. The park. Why is something that heats up to 168 degrees allowed where children play? If their feet get burned what would happen if they fall on the mat? The park should switch to safer, kid friendly materials.

The parents, keep the shoes on. If the children are burning their feet with shoes on then it would be the parks problem. THe park cannot make sure that everyone has shoes on, that is the parents responsibility.

I would have to say both are responsible. Parents shouldn't have kids running in bare feet in a park, not just because of this, but there could be glass or other hazardous objects that could injure a child's feet. But at the same time, the parks should not have something that could potentially burn a child. If not their feet, I'm sure if a kid touched it with their hands, the same would happen.

Why were they barefoot in the first place? That's just gross. I understand maybe in the sand pit, but otherwise, they really should have their shoes on. AND they shoulnd't be under the sun at the hottest time of the day. The material cools off when not under direct sun.

These pics are heartbreaking!

Ok to be fair kids take off their shoes all the time without their parents being aware it. My goddaughter who is almost two does this all the time. We dont realize it until we roller over her shoes with the stroller.

With that being said Park Department is responsible of making sure that these children park are CHILDREN FRIENDLY/SAFE. Every little detail needs to be paid attention to and made sure that it is safe.

Parents need to make sure that their child has on their shoes all the time. Those its hard because you take you eyes off them for 1 sec and lots can happen.

so its both parents and Park departments responsibility.
this is so sad...a place thats suppose to be fun for kiddies can also hurt them so badly.

parents should make sure that kids don't take their shoes off and parks should put something safer up.

Hmm I say both especially after reading LilSugar's comments that one set of feet burned that badly just by touching the surface while his sitter cleaned out his shoes! Poor babies...

What stupid ahole parent/guardian lets their kids take their shoes off in a NYC park? This is what happens when the moron yuppies move in. I grew up in these city parks and never ever have I known anyone to suffer burns like this.

There is something missing from this story.

BOTH, Parents should make sure that their children wear their shoes at all times, there are lots of other injuries that can result in not wearing shoes outside (stubbed toes, scraps, etc.) The City should provide a safe place for them to play, if the black stuff can burn feet that badly, it can burn hands and arms and anything else that touches it.

I put other. Shoes are a must- and I don't mean flip-flops that fall off so easily. However, 168 degrees is way too hot. Children fall or roll around or crawl at playgrounds. It is irresponsible of the park system to assume that no skin is going to touch the ground at a park.

Parents should be held responsible the city isnt raising the kids its the parents what next we need to have the city put someone out at the parks to watch the kids for the parents NOOOOOOO not to mention the kids SHOULD be wearing shoes outside because ewwww its soo dirty and what if the kid steps in poop or on a sharp object. There is a reason for shoes and parents need to start taking responsibilty for their family and not blame others.

I chose parents but then read that some of the burns happened in just a few seconds. If that's really true, I would pick park or both if that was an option. If it really could happen in a few seconds, a child could be wearing shoes but still seriously be burned by falling down.

There should be signs, but also it is pretty obvious. The slide is too hot, the plastic is too hot, the sidewalk is too hot. A lot of parents just aren't good parents and don't watch their kids and don't use their common sense. It is their fault. Heck, when I was little I knew that the park's slide and the plastic was too hot so that is when we all started getting water balloons and had safe and fun water balloon fights and I'm only 16 (really soon to be 17).