Parents warned to keep closer eye on kids to prevent serious burns
Two minute noodles, hot coffee and boiling water are some of the things which have caused burn-related injuries to 152 young children so far this year, with experts warning more accidents are likely to happen over winter unless parents are more vigilant.
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Distracted parents and a bitter cold snap are behind a spate of children’s burn injuries, with experts warning of a “further spike” during winter.
Also of concern is some parents are driving their children straight to hospital rather than putting them under cool running water — which makes the burn worse.
NSW Ambulance paramedics have responded to 152 burn-related emergencies for children under 10 years — or about one a day — so far this year.
Two minute noodles, hot coffee, soups and kettles that are too close to the edge of kitchen benches have been the main culprits, along with electric heater burns.
In an extreme case, a two-year-old boy suffered badly burnt legs when he fell into a fire pit at Thirlmere, south of Sydney, in February.
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Paramedics expect the number of cases to increase in the coming months as daytime temperatures drop below 20C and the nights get into low single figures.
Penrith paramedic and mother-of-two Belinda Boothroyd said these call-outs are very distressing.
“We are expecting that there will be a further spike this winter,” she said.
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“We have responded to more burns call-outs this year than in previous years.”
She said parents being distracted by their mobile phones was “definitely a factor” in the increase.
“Whether it is phones, putting a load of washing on or being otherwise engaged, parents just need to be aware,” Ms Boothroyd told The Sunday Telegraph.
“We have also had a number of cases where parents have transported their child directly to hospital without cooling the burn.”
Ms Boothroyd said this is a dangerous mistake.
“The longer you wait, the bigger the burn is going to be,” she said.
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead recommends burn injuries be immediately put under running cold water for 30 minutes — 10 minutes longer than the previous suggestion.
Parents should also phone triple-0 immediately, just like Glenmore Park mother Jasmin Reynolds did with her now 17-month-old son Beau Zupanovic.
In March, Ms Reynolds filled a milk bottle with boiling water and then placed it on a tea towel.
While the boiling water was out of her son’s reach, the tea towel was not.
While she was making herself a coffee, Beau reached up and pulled the towel. The boiling water went all over his chest.
“I will never forget the scream he let out, he howled,” Ms Reynolds said.
“I was only 1.5m away from him when it all happened in a split second.”
But Ms Reynolds’ quick reaction literally saved her son’s skin.
She immediately took off his clothing, put him under a cold shower and called triple-0.
She also remained calm.
Beau remained under the water for more than 20 minutes before he was taken to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
He suffered from what is known as dermal burning, which is worse than epidermal burning but better than a full-thickness burn.
“I definitely don’t fill the bottles up like that now and I’m aware not to have a hot jug around him,” Ms Reynolds said.
“Kids are just capable of anything in a second.”
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