Child at gym burnt hand on my hair straightener

[Geraderaus]

I had a rather alarming thing happen this morning and would appreciate your take on it. I was at the gym in the changing room after a work out. I was drying my hair like I do there regularly and had plugged in my hair straighteners and they were sitting on the surface in front of me. I do this regularly, it's allowed to use your own things like this in the gym and many people do.

A woman with a toddler about two years old came next to me and she stared drying her hair. We were both stood up and the toddler was climbing on a little stool. The toddler reached across to my hair straightener (heating up, the plates were very hot) and I quickly said "no don't touch that!" And moved them to my other side further away from the child (who had not touched them by this point). The mother saw this and batted her child's hand away. The mother was not speaking English to the child so not sure if she understood me it in the context it couldn't have been more obvious what was said.

I continued to dry my hair and the child was toddling about and trying to grab things like my make up bag which I just kept moving away from him but it's a small area and it was all within his reach. The mother seemed to tell him off once or twice. When I was still drying my hair the toddler lunged at the straighteners and they fell to the floor burning his arm, probably quite badly. I rushed as best I could to grab them and move them but it happened in a split second and was too late by then. The mother was hysterical and screaming at me in a language I didn't understand, she was furious and other people came over including staff.

The child was taken to hospital and gym staff have noted my name and contact details. Can there be any repercussions for this? What did I do wrong?

I have often had my dc (I joined when DD was 18 months) in my gym changing room. It's where they change for swimming; both are also members of the gym. They shower with me. Maybe this is what the child was doing?

Why is it that if a parent was to post on here saying their child grabbed something hot when they turned their backs for a second, it'd been seen as a terrible accident, kids touch things they shouldn't, etc etc. Yet everyone here seems insistent that this toddler touching was a monumental parenting fail??

OP I don't think this was your fault, either. I second the poster upthread who suggests contacting the gym to ask if they know how the child is.

What the hell was a toddler doing in a gym anyway? Silly cow should have been watching her kid, not your fault at all OP.

You didn't do anything wrong OP

I would never have had straighteners I wasn't using plugged in, hot sitting there when I knew there was a toddler who could potentially reach them. They only take a minute to heat up so switching off when you saw the toddler near by and grabbing for them would have been the sensible thing to do. If a child got badly burned because of my straighteners I would feel guilty as hell as common sense would have prevented it.

The mother may have noticed the straighteners but unless you told her might not have realised they were on and hot as you weren't using them. But she should have made sure the toddler didn't touch your property.

Legally I doubt there is any recourse to you but the burns the toddler received were foreseeable and therefore preventable. Hope if you are in a similar situation you don't switch them on when not in use when there are children around.

I also dislike it when they bring overage boys in (over 7, I think)

overage for what?

AnnieAnoniMouse do you think it's a group of small claims litigators Using MNers as a focus group?

This reeks of a focus group for a personal injury claimant...

Hair straighteners are lethally hot in all languages.

Not your fault at all. My DS has SNs and is one of his issues is his complete lack of awareness to danger. It is my job to swiftly move him out of the way of a hot cuppa when he wont bloody listen to the several warnings , my responsibility to remove him from the hairdryers & straighteners in the local leisure centre (I dont go to the gym there I'm too lazy - DD has swimming lessons there) and my responsibility to stop him thinking "oooh water" and making a beeline for the deep end.

I'm sure there'll be cctv there that shows you weren't responsible. I'm suprised DCs are even allowed in gyms given the health and safety nightmare.

You did nothing wrong IMO. Just her poor parenting.

I'm amazed by people being surprised by a toddler being there. I'm a member at a David Lloyd gym and the changing room Is overrun with toddlers.

Aliceinunderpants

Whoever said boys at 7 are overage meant that they are overage to be in the women's changing room. Usually there are clear rules about what age children can stop using the changing room for the opposite gender. HTH.

everyone here seems insistent that this toddler touching was a monumental parenting fail??

Because the mother was aware of the hazard, and at one point had batted her child hand away, but still didn't make sure that he was safe. t's one thing not to realise about a danger, or to forget it. It is another to ignore it.

not your fault he touched them.

I do wonder why they were plugged in and hot when you weren't using them? I never leave mine laying around unless i'm about to use them, they only take a minute to heat up, there was no need for you to have then on while using a hairdryer.

Not your fault at all.

I have a two year old, I regularly take him to the pool at one of our local gyms so he is in the changing room. If this had been us it would have been totally my fault for not watching him. It's up to me to keep an eye on him not others to keep an eye on their straightners/curlers etc

everyone here seems insistent that this toddler touching was a monumental parenting fail??

Toddler reaching up for a hot drink when your back is turned is an accident, expecting someone else to parent your child so you can finish doing your hair when you know said child has already taken a interest to hot straighteners is a parenting fail IMO.

It was Lady's responsibility to keep toddler out the way of OPs straighteners, not OPs responsibility to keep straighteners out the way of Lady's Child.

AliceInUnderpants, being deliberately obtuse is so tedious. Of course you must know that at some point it becomes inappropriate for boys to be in a private area where girls and women are getting changed. Your idea of where the line sits may be different to someone else, so debate that, instead of putting on that faux innocence head tilt.

If I'm using straighteners, which is rare, I pin my hair up then dry a section, straighten it, dry another section, straighten it etc. So I can see why they were switched on.

Not your fault OP, please don't go over it in your mind and feel guilty. I'm sure if you had been sharp with the kid to stop him touching things you'd gave been yelled at for that too, you told him no and moved them. It's up to the mum and if he is a grabbing things mood she should have removed him. Even if it was just so you weren't getting your things plated with, the burn was an unlucky extension of that.

Hope that makes sense.

Played*

Yep there's never any reason for male children over the age of 7 to be with a parent who just happens to be female. Except because the parent wants them to glare at tits, obviously.

Has the OP been back?

not your fault op

you saw the danger first time, said no, mum twatted childs hand away, so she knew, mum should have been more aware/looking what her child was doing

hence playpens/buggies essential for toddlers in changing areas

agree be nice to ask gym how child is

and i leave my hs on, while drying hair, mine take few mins to heat up

It was an accident, they happen. The mother should have been watching her child better. You tried to keep them away. I'm sure the mother shouted out of shock. And the gym would have taken your name and address for their accident form -- you were a witness, and otherwise it's only the mother's version that gets told..

The last time I took my child to A&E there were signs up all over about how dangerous straighteners are and the high number of accidental burns they cause.

I am hyper vigilant about using my straighteners as I have dc with special needs and only switch them on while I am physically using them ie I wouldn't leave them to heat up on a surface. However the mother is responsible for the safety of her child not you.