Hot water is one of life’s essentials. Whether it’s a reviving mug of coffee after a hard morning’s work. Or a steaming bath to soak away the cares of the day. But hot water can also scar a young child for life. And it’s not just hot water that can cause serious injuries.

Did you know?

• A baby’s skin is 15 times thinner than an adult’s.
• Over 500 under fives are rushed to casualty every week because of burns and scalds.
• Hot drinks are the number one cause of scalds among under fives.
• A hot drink can still scald a young child 15 minutes after it’s been made.
• Every day one child under five is admitted to hospital with scalds caused by bath water.
• It can take only five seconds for a toddler to suffer third degree burns from water from your bath’s hot tap. They may need painful skin grafts until they stop growing, many years later.
• Hair straighteners can get as hot as an iron. And they can stay hot enough to severely burn a young child 8 minutes after being unplugged.
• Chip pans are a common cause of house fires in which children are injured.
• Young children can find fire fascinating but don’t understand its dangers.

Safety reminders

• Don’t leave hot drinks within reach of curious little hands.
• Don’t hold a baby or young child while holding a hot drink. Or pass a hot drink over their head in case you spill it.
• Treat your hair straighteners like you would your iron and always keep them out of young chidren’s sight and reach.
• Use a kettle with a short or curly flex. Keep your kettle pushed to the back of your kitchen work surface.
• If warming your baby’s milk, always shake the bottle well – and then pour a few drops on the inside of your wrist. It should feel lukewarm not hot.
• When you are cooking, use the rings at the back of the cooker. And turn pan handles towards the back. This way they can’t be grabbed by little fingers.
• When you are running a bath, put the cold water in first, then the hot.
• If possible, get a thermostatic mixing valve fitted to your bath hot tap – these gadgets still allow you to enjoy a steaming hot bath but stop children being scalded within seconds.
• When bathing a baby or toddler, test the bathwater first with your elbow – the water should not feel hot or cold.
• Replace your chip pan with a thermostatically controlled deep-fat fryer or use oven chips.
• If you can’t give up your chip pan, never fill it more than one third full of oil.
• If your chip pan does catch fire, don’t throw water over it – it will explode! If it’s safe to do so, turn off the heat. Then get out, stay out and call 999.
• Keep matches and lighters where young children can’t see them or reach them.
• Use fireguards to stop babies and young children falling onto fires or heaters.

Useful links

More information on burns and scalds from www.direct.gov.uk/firekills

For advice on cooking safety visit www.direct.gov.uk/firekills or www.dontgivefireahome.com

For information on preventing bath water scalds using thermostatic mixing valves visit

www.safehotwater.co.uk

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