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?

An accident. But why had you plugged your straighteners in already when you were still drying your hair? They take only seconds to heat up.

the op is at least in part responsible, she should have told the mother that they were on, moved them, or turned them off. Maybe she shouldn't have to but surely if something potentially dangerous was near to a young child you would either remove the child, which it wasnt up to her to do, and the mother obviously wasn't doing, or remove the danger.

The mother was useless at controlling her toddler, but she may not have known that the straighteners were actually on, very hot and a danger to her child. She may have just thought he was being a pain rather than in danger of a potentially serious burn.

Also rather than any genuine concern when in her own words they fell to the floor burning his arm, probably quite badly you are not showing concern about the child and a potentially very nasty burn but about the possibility of repercussions over a preventable incident

I wouldn't give it a second thought OP. It was the mother's fault for being negligent.

No not your fault at all. Yiu tried to keep the child away, the mum probably could see the straighter, she should have supervised HER child, not your responsibility. A changing room is not a playground. Why does everyone think, it's everybody else's fault but theirs (to the mum).

Although I know it's inconvenient and the child wasn't yours and is the responsibility of their carer, yu shouldn't have turned them on until you could give them your full attention

Don't be ridiculous. OP was in an adult environment in a changing area doing her hair.

The mother should have contained her child and modified her behaviour, not the OP.

Straighners need time to heat up, you cannot use them cold straight away, so op was waiting for them to heat up. The child was their parents responsibility, the mother should have taken her child away from where to op was drying her hair. This is not a child environment.

100% the mother's fault. She obviously isn't very bright - screaming at you in a language that you don't understand!

seriously??? That is one fairly dumb statement...

Was there really no where to put the straighteners out of reach of the child? I mean mother should have kept an eye on child but I would have put them out if reach or held them out the way.
Seriously?! The OP kept moving them, the mother was aware and yet the child was allowed to carry on being a PITA and trying to get to OP's stuff. FFS. It's not the OP's fault in the slightest. The mother is completely at fault for not keeping their child under control.
The gym will have taken contact details for their accident report (in case useless mother claims on their insurance).

The mother was useless at controlling her toddler, but she may not have known that the straighteners were actually on, very hot and a danger to her child. She may have just thought he was being a pain rather than in danger of a potentially serious burn.
Oh well that's okay then. You only need to keep your child under control if they're going to injure themselves, not if they're being a damn nuisance to all & sundry.

100% the mother's fault. She obviously isn't very bright - screaming at you in a language that you don't understand! She'll be too worried to go to the authorities...for obvious reasons.

WTAF? And what, pray, are these "obvious reasons"?

She'll be too worried to go to the authorities...for obvious reasons

Ha ha, I missed that bit. Do tell. What are these obvious reasons?

When I used to take toddler ds swimming, I would have reins, and a buggy, if he was starting to run about, strapped in the buggy. That child is not op responsibility.

To all the people saying the op has no responsibility would you not swerve out of the way if a distracted mother let their toddler run into the road???? Of course you have a responsibility to other people when you are using something that has the potential to cause serious harm.
The mother should have been watching but equally the op should not have left straighteners on a low shelf turned on for so long. As others have pointed out they take seconds to heat up so there was no way they should have been left on for ages while the op was drying her hair for the toddler to attempt to grab multiple times. Clearly the op thought like most people on here that if the toddler gets burned it doesn't matter as it would be the mums fault and not hers. She doesn't seem to care about the fact a child has been seriously burned at all!

She doesn't seem to care about the fact a child has been seriously burned at all!

Yep this. Which is really fucking sad.

Op I feel sorry for all three of you, especially that poor child. I've burnt myself with my straighteners before - they literally melt your skin.
If it was me I'd have turned them off until I was ready to use them - I see an accident around every corner and with a 2yo there I would have foreseen something like that happening.
I don't think legally you're at fault though if that's what you're worrying about.

A changing room at a gym isn't an adult environment unless children are explicitly banned from the premises, which presumable they weren't in this case.

I and nearly all of my female colleagues have to straighten my hair every day - some of us even need to bring them to work so we look polished for meetings

Nobody has to straighten their hair. If you work somewhere where your career will be damaged because your hair isn't straightened, I suggest you start investigating how your empoyer is implementing their equal opportunities policies.

I heat my straighteners inside their heat pad thingy if the dcs are anywhere around. Ultimately the mother's responsibility but if you are a human being doing something non-essential in the vicinity of a little one who has already reached for the dangerous object you take a bit more fucking care.

She's trying to pin her shit parenting on you.

Sorry bumsex I disagree, this is totally different, op told the child not to touch, the straightners, she kept moving them out of the way of the child, what more do you want her to do!! The ultimate responsibility is on the parent. I am sure she is very concerned with the child, but also concerned with any repercussions. A changing room is a adult environment, it leads to a pool, it is also wet and slippery, so a running child can fall, there are also hairdryers in our pool changing room, if a yong child were to try and dry their hair, they could burn themselves so keep tabs on your child!

Op presumably was child fee, so its her time to do with what she sees fit, and if she wants to straighten her hair, she bloody well should be able to!

Still no OP then?

Not your fault, though the idea of hair straighteners eludes me. Why is curly or wavy hair so shameful and "unprofessional" looking?

A friend of mine, of Indian descent, so gifted w thick wavy hair, told me she gets up an hour early every day to wash, dry, and straighten her hair. Personally, I cannot be assed to fry my hair and prefer to stay in bed.

The mum should have been paying more attention, poor little boy But I also agree with Mistress - if you are a human being doing something non-essential in the vicinity of a little one who has already reached for the dangerous object you take a bit more fucking care.

OP has gone to hair straightener prison.

Pics of her poker straight hair or it didn't happen.