Most childhood burns accidents happen with parents present

Parents often think that they can protect their child against burns by staying close to them or keeping a close eye on them, but this is not the case, according to a new study by the Dutch Burns Foundation and three burn centers. In more than half of cases of children sustaining burns, the parents saw the accident happen. In 84 percent of accidents, the parent or carer were in the same room as the child when the accident happened.

"Parents often think they are not at risk as long as they are close to their child or keep a close eye on them. These insights show that this is certainly not the case," Annebeth de Vries of the children's burns center in Beverwijk said.

The research by the Burns Foundation and the burn centers at the Maasstad Hospital in Rotterdam, the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk and the Martini Hospital in Groningen show that burn accidents mainly occur in urban areas and in larger families. 18-month-old boys are overrepresented among the victims - children who are just able to pull themselves up and grab things. 

The most burn injuries in children occur from kids grabbing and pulling hot cups of tea or coffee over them. "My tip is not only to put cups of tea out of reach of your child, but also just add a splash of cold water to your tea. If the tea is then spilled over the child, the risk of serious burns is much smaller," De Vries said.