*trigger warning* Toddler fallen into river in Leicester

[NoEffingWay]

DS is not so little anymore but this story made me hold him a little bit tighter tonight. I feel so sorry for his family, just hoping he is found soon.

Leicester: Police recover CCTV in search for missing two-year-old boy www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-68343938

Impossible, unless you are walking right on the edge? Which I’d never do, because that’s just stupid.

That father doesn’t need anyone else’s doubts or questions. I cannot imagine the anguish he’s going through, and will continue to for the rest of his existence.

FFS. Are you for real?

Sorry been watching too much TV wasn't a very well thought out comment tbf

Obv everyone can be wise after the event,however it is just a terrible quirk of fate .Getting to dusk ,could have been quite a bit lighter when they left home. lets pray for the poor family

Well it's 5pm and I'm a few hours north of Leicestershire and it's sunny and light so the ghouls questioning them for going for a walk can sod off.

Poor family.

I cannot believe that some posters feel it is appropriate to judge the parenting.
By all accounts it was a tragic accident and that little boys family will never be the same again.

All the perfect parents, I hope your child never slips from your grasp, takes a tumble and falls or is just out of reach and the crucial moment.

Accidents can happen to anyone and despite your best efforts something bad may still happen.

The poor man will be questioning and thinking 'what if' for the rest of his life without all the judgement shown here.

My thoughts are with the family.

Absolutely. I'm North East and we have just got in from a walk near the sea. Still light here.

The same posters criticising are probably the same ones who get all sniffy about children not getting outside for fresh air. Perfect Parenting. It’s like an old fashioned charm nailed to your door to ward off evil spirits

There’s a family who are going through the most horrific time they will likely ever experience. A bit of empathy rather than judging is the human thing to do.

Still light here too. Not remotely 'twilight'.

It was a god awful accident and I feel for everyone involved.

That river flooding wasn't a surprise, it always bursts its banks.

Tragically, Middleton Street is in a dip so that part of the road is liable to flooding and usually closed when the river is high but it hadn't flooded all the way across yet that day.

We live locally and the helicopters have been constant. Its all anyone here is thinking about.

That area is a really popular family walk so it's not unusual for lots of people to be walking there, despite some of the flooding. Just up from where he fell in the path is dry and walkable although the river is right up to the level of the path.

I can't imagine what the parents must be going through.

And it's still light right now at 5.20, a nice time for a family walk on a popular nature reserve.

Shame on posters like @shoppingshamed @baileybrosbuildingandloan and @HelloMiss for suggesting anything otherwise. It's just a tragic accident

Poor boy and his poor family. I hope he is found soon.

Wow, people have really come on here criticising the parents while they're still looking for the body of their two year old. And that's with no actual information about how this awful accident happened. Mumsnet truly does highlight the worst of society sometimes.

I've not seen a single post that have criticised the parents?

I've seen speculation on how the accident could have occurred, but no criticism 😬

Oh come on. Deleted posts, posts about reins (in MN land, all toddlers should be on reins it seems.)

'I wonder why they were out walking at that time?'

People also saying they wouldn't walk near the edge as it's stupid. And they're just the posts that weren't deleted.

but in RL, not many people do (probably because a lot of toddlers just don’t tolerate them.)

They do if you use them the first time they start walking independently. We used reins with DD as soon as she could walk.

My thoughts are with the family.

MN LOVE reins. They want to use them for everything, tying children up, strapping them down, every age, every stage!

@Doesthisdescribeyou please keep your unhelpful and ridiculous opinions to yourself . You clearly are a shortarse or didn't have a bolter, or didn't mind crushing your child's hands to keep them close, or kept them in a pushchair until they were 5.

walking by a flooded, swollen river at twilight with an unrestrained 2 year old?

I wonder why they were out walking at that time too!

I am never more than a foot away from my child when we are walking near water.

Hold your little ones hands tightly near water and consider reins.

REINS. I used them because DD was a bolter. Rivers, roads, whatever.

All pretty judgemental.

For anyone being judgey - I was a child that fell into water in literally a split second, right at my parent's side. I was lucky. My poor Mum had nightmares for years.

This was a tragic accident.

Trust me, they don’t. My ds is a case in point.

But regardless reins wouldn’t have helped in this particular case. I do think MN are a bit funny about reins generally though. They aren’t meant to drag children around, it’s more of a way of stopping them wandering in a supermarket or similar. I hate posts that seem to think that they are to drag children around, it could be quite dangerous.

What do you mean you do have questions.. wtf. Their child is in a river. Have some compassion.

Such a beautiful little boy. 😨