Hair straighteners at nursery

[Violetgirl]

My daughter's very reputable nursery has an old pair of hair straighteners for the children to play with. I have already spoken to them about this as research has shown that serious burn cases in children have increased by 50% in the last ten years, with the majority of those due to hair straighteners.

Just wondering what other mums thoughts are on this?

[sleepevader]

I wouldnt be happy either.

It would be like giving them a green light to play with them at home.

[yousankmybattleship]

No. Wrong on so many levels. Not just the safety issues but the idea that they should be fiddling with their hair to make themselves attractive. Definitely have a word.

[AnyFuleKno]

that is idiotic

teaching them that straighteners = plaything

they need to get rid

[TheSkiingGardener]

Completely stupid. Do they give them blunt carving knives to play with too?

[Mumleigh]

That's terrible! I tell my DD off if she goes to touch mine when they are switched off and cold - just to hammer the message home that they are dangerous.I'd have a word!

[Sleepglorioussleep]

I get why they put them in a role play area. Think probably unwise, but we have an old real telephone in our pretend play box at home and dc know ( at 2 and 5) not to mess with the real one ). I think they get to grips with when they are allowed to play with things and when not sooner Thames think.

[pinkytheshrinky]

Does the same thing apply to play kettles?

not that I agree with hair straighteners but dangerous things are dangerous things...

[killercat]

But nurseries often have play irons, kettles, hobs and ovens too . Should they get rid of all those too?

[tawrag]

Do boys play with hair straighteners? Just thinking about the stupider stereotyping 'playthings'. None of the other toy copies of electrical items have quite the same connotations as hair straighteners, so I'd agree with the OP's feelings.

It's a vanity thing rather than a useful thing.

[ripstheirthroatoutliveupstairs]

As long as they can't be turned on, I can't see a problem.
As previous posters have pointed out, they also have kettles and irons and cookers.

[activate]

oh lovely

and do they encourage the little girlies to play with them and make themselves all pretty because what they are born with is not quite good enough - and of course the little black children can play with some water that looks like chemical straighteners because god forbid they should be brought up to be happy with the way they look.

fashion rules!

vomit

[Nagoo]

My DS has played with straighteners at nursery. They also have clippers. I don't worry about the gender implications. They like playing hairdressing. I imagine they also like to pretend to shave each others' heads.

[whomovedmychocolate]

What, no epilators?

[MmeLindor.]

Hmm, I can see where they are coming from - It is a part of role play - mummy uses these at home, I am being mummy so I will use them to do my hair.

Power tolls are even more dangerous than hair straighteners, and there are little toy Bosch drills on sale, and in many nurseries, I bet.

Still, I agree with Tawrag - the other items are useful bits of kit, hair straighteners are all about looking pretty.

[BikeRunSki]

Also encouraging them that artificial beauty is the norm.

I am curly, frizzy and proud!

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

I wouldn't be happy either although I get the argument about irons and drills so I'm not sure why! I suppose straighteners tend to be left around more than the other things so more chance of them being picked up. DD never has access to the iron but I've spent 3 years putting the fear of God into her over the straighteners.

[2BoysTooLoud]

Feel more uncomfortable about role playing with hair straighteners than a kettle or power tools.
Just do.

[Meglet]

The dc's nursery let's them all play with hair bobbles and hair slides. Even the boys get to play hairdressers.

I haven't seen any hair staighteners though.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I think the difference is that the kettles and cookers are obviously play kettles and cookers - you dont put old real kettles in a play area. So toy straighteners would be ok, but not real old ones.

[Mumleigh]

Yes I agree - toy ones ok . Old real ones not. Kids know the difference between toys and the real thing as I discovered when I tried to fob my DS off with a toy dyson ( or mummy push as he called it back then)

[usualsuspect]

My DS uses hair straighteners as do a lot of his mates ,so I don't get the gender stereo type argument at all

[TimeWasting]

Lol at hair straighteners being gender steotyping. The hair straighteners in this house are Daddy's.

If they are actual old straighteners rather than 'toy' ones I think it could be dangerous.

[CMOTdibbler]

I don't see the problem - ds spent many happy hours playing at hairdressers at nursery, just as he enjoyed playing at cooking and construction

[DooinMeCleanin]

'just as he enjoyed playing at cooking and construction' - but you would be happy for him to play construction with real bricks, nails and hammers?

Toy straightners - fine(ish). Real ones - I'd be livid. I've spent hours teaching dd2 not to touch mine.

[CMOTdibbler]

Actually, they did play with real hammers and nails in the construction area and learnt that they did that when allowed