A Brisbane mum has issued a warning to other parents after a freak kitchen accident left her toddler with horrific burns to his hands.
Mother-of-two Kaytlyn Stone said her eight-month-old son Jude suffered burned and blistered hands after he “pulled himself up” and rested his hands on hot oven glass in the kitchen of their rented home.
“While I was checking on my other son, Jude pulled himself up on the outside of the oven,” she wrote in a post shared on the Tiny Hearts Education Instagram page.
She said the oven was a scorching 200C.
“We acted straight away and had him in a tepid shower, and phoned an ambulance straight away,” she said.
Speaking with Yahoo News Australia, Ms Stone said the accident happened in about 5 minutes. She was “concerned, shocked and upset”, but was able to stay calm and help Jude by getting him into tepid water.
Parents urged to do first aid
Ms Stone urged other parents to do a first aid course so they could respond appropriately in a similar situation.
She said Jude was taken to the Queensland Children’s Hospital, but did not require surgery on his hands.
“He is continuing to recover,” Ms Stone said.
Following the incident, Ms Stone contacted her real estate agent to assess the oven.
Key first aid steps for burns and scalds
The Australian parenting website, Raising Children, suggests the following steps if your child is burned to scalded.
If your child has a severe burn or if the burn is to the child’s airway, call an ambulance immediately. Phone 000 (Triple-0).
You should also call an ambulance for a burn or scald if the injury is on face, hands or genitals; and if the injury is larger than the size of the child’s hand.
If you aren’t sure how severe the burn is, contact your local hospital or GP. Then take the following first aid steps:
- Ensure the area is safe and that there’s not further risk of injury. Take the child to a safe place if possible.
- Remove any clothing (including nappies) or jewellery around the burn, but only if it is not stuck to the skin and only if you can do so without causing more pain or injury.
- As soon as possible, hold the burned area under cool running water for a total of 20 minutes. This reduces tissue damage and pain. You don’t have to cool the burn for 20 minutes all at once. If your child gets upset or cold, treat the burn for a few minutes and then take a break before treating the burn again. You can cool the burn like this for up to three hours following the injury.
- When you’ve finished the water treatment or while you’re taking the child to see a doctor, cover the burn with a loose, light, non-sticky dressing like plastic wrap or a plastic zip lock bag.
- Raise burned limbs
- Cover your child with a blanket and keep them warm. This helps prevent hypothermia.
Your child should receive medical help for a burn or scald if the injury is the size of a 20-cent piece or larger; is deep (even if your child feels no pain); looks raw, angry or blistered; or is causing severe pain that won’t go away. Seek medical assistance if you aren’t sure how badly burned your child is.
