To think hot drinks should be baned from toddler groups?

[cah1]

I am sick to death of parents just leaving them in toddlers reach! It really scares me!

[OlaMamas]

Totally agree.... was agreeing with the banning of toddlers! LOL!

[wasaconventgirl]

YABU. I would'nt go if I could'nt have a cuppa.

Parents/carers etc should be careful about putting their hot drink out of reach but so should the parents of potential hot drink puller overs! What next .... only drinking tea at home with a lid on.

This thread reminds me of a neighbour of mine who only drank out of plastic cups incase her DD woke up! Odd but true.

[BalloonSlayer]

OP, I don't know whether the girl in the link is your daughter. I haven't looked at it, I'm afraid. I couldn't bear to, due to what happened to my DC.

Would you like to start a thread on, say, Child Health? I would certainly like to try to support you, being 7 years on from a nastily scalded DC (yes from a hot drink, put in a safe high place that he still didn't look tall enough to reach 2 years after the accident), and there are likely to be other posters on here who can also support you.

The crass, insensitive, comments on this thread have taken my breath away and brought it all back, so I feel very wobbly. Goodness knows how you must be feeling.

[LucyEllensmummy]

I know where the OP is coming from - I have been to several groups where the old dears who run them, insisted on walking around handing out trays full of tea and coffee with toddlers running in and out, babes on the floor - i used to have my heart in my mouth.

It is just a question of common sense and watching that cuppa like a hawk - some of the groups i would go to would have a separate area for drinks.

[Hulababy]

YABU. Grown adults should be allowed a hot drink in such an environment.

They just need to be vigilant and have places to put drinks higher up. Remind parents with signs, etc. and staff working there could have them put higher if they ind hot cups on lower surfaces.

[TotalChaos]

oh I see both sides to this one - I can see where you are coming from. Agree with LEM. DIL - yes, that was my experience of paed wards too.

[ElfOnTheTopShelf]

I dont go to parent and toddler groups. I drink my coffee at work and of an evening when dd is in bed

On a serious note, I know of an adult who still bears the burns from when he was a toddler and burnt by hot water in a kettle, and my cousin was badly scarred when she fell into a bath of hot water, she had a stay in the burns unit and it was very distressing to see her and the other children who were badly burned / scalded.

But I dont know anybody personally who was burned by hot tea/coffee.

[ElfOnTheTopShelf]

(Not saying that children aren't burned by tea/coffee, just that I dont know anybody personally)

[sayithowitis]

I helped to run a mother and toddler group for over 15 years. We served hot drinks every week and durin that time no child was ever burnt by a cup of tea or coffee. On the other hand, there were plenty of injuries caused by children walloping each other with whatever toy was available or bashing the bikes/toy prams etc into other kids. Should we therefore have banned the toys or the toddlers?

Most parents, especially of very young children, are sensible enough not to leave their hot drinks where they could do damage. If someone ever did this ( often an older erson such as Grandmother), a quiet, discreet word always solved the problem!

[Gorionine]

I just read the first three pages of threads and this last one, so appologies for any repeats!

Toddlers group are not just for toddlers but as well for their parents who can be at times deprived of any other adult company.

Most parents /child minders who go to toddlers groups are quite sensible people, who do know what having little ones arround is like.

I do agree that hot drinks can be very dangerous, and that it is important to be carefull with them arround children, but it is also important to teach the children that they should not touch hot drinks, usually recognisable because they are in a cup rather than a plastic beaker or a glass.

It might sound silly but I think it is always better to teach a child about potential harm that can come to them than removing all potential danger. I think this is also true with other things like steps, cooking hoves, oven... IMO, parents need to be sensible in not putting the life or health of their DCs at risk, but over protecting them by removing every remote possibility of anything happening will probably get parents completely neurotic while their children are totally unaware that some things are indeed dangerous and will not be able to avoid them because they never had to "face" them.

It makes a lot of sense to me but I admit my long explanations can be a bit confusing sometimes so do not worry to much if you have not undrestood a thing!

[wb]

I was scalded by a pot of hot coffee when I was a child - have never forgotten the pain of it. But it happened at home and I was quite old (6 or 7). So ban all hot drinks anywhere where the under 10s are likely to gather or take reasonable precautions and accept that bad things happen sometimes?

[giantkatestacks]

yes they are dangerous but parents need to take responsibility for them - just as if they were at a cafe or restaurant or at home.

I used to run a toddler group and was never asked to stop the tea - one mum was always asking me to stop the homemade cakes/biscuits though as her child would have a massive tanty when told she couldnt have more than one. I was a bit .

We used to leave the teas on the hatch anyway which was too high for toddlers to reach.

[cheesesarnie]

i also think they should ban shoes,coats,heating,handbags,hairclips,babywipes,chairs,crayons,tiolets.

all very dangerous in toddler groups.

[ellingwoman]

You've just reminded me of a thread a few months ago when someone was asking if they were being unreasonable in thinking that biscuits should be banned at toddler groups because they were a sugary snack and it wasn't the right message to be giving our DCs Luckily she was shot down in pieces

[cheesesarnie]

my ds2 has twice been burnt on heaters at local toddlers.i did not demand heating be banned but i did suggest better safety measures.

[thefortbuilder]

cah1 I haven't opened the link but if it is your daughter that has been burnt then obviously it's a terrible thing that has happened, and I'm sorry for that.

but you have posted in AIBU which is the MN bit for everyone being pretty forthright and not holding back. It's pretty obvious (and this goes for everyone on this thread) that if you come on AIBU you're going to get a lot of people with strong views that might not be the nicest ones for your situation. If you don't want to read all the views then don't come on AIBU.

While i do understand that hot drinks are incredibly dangerous, especially around toddlers, common sense needs to prevail. ds1 is a very inquisitive 2.6yr old, but he does not go near cups because we drummed "hot hot hot" into him as soon as he could understand it. People do not keep an eye on their cups all the time, and it's not a perfect world where everyone at toddler groups watches their own children like hawks all the time - I certainly don't - they're too busy off playing / wrestling toys from other kids.

If you see a cup sitting around, move it, or tap the nearest parent on the shoulder and ask them if it's theirs. it's pretty simple.

or just start your own group.

Presumably when you have playdates you don't serve the other mum a hot drink?

[piscesmoon]

Life is a risk. If you think that hot drinks shouldn't be served then you shouldn't drive there (might have a car accident)or don't walk (car may knock you down)don't go on an icy day(broken bones) you could go on and on! Hot drinks are served-it is your responsibility as a parent to look after your DC.

[solidgoldbullet4myvalentine]

I usually find it's a pretty useful idiot-detector: someone who responds to having had something bad happen to him/her by wanting to ban everything in sight. Grow up and develop a sense of proportion.

[notcitrus]

They started a baby group near me at the health centre - with only water or fruit juice and pieces of fruit (healthy and all...) for the parents. The reaction of a collection of mainly breastfeeding ravenous new mums was not favourable and a few weeks later we were allowed tea/coffee and malt loaf and biscuits!

Although another new group, again NHS, won't allow hot drinks - but you can bring your own!

The only place i've gone to with lots of mobile kids serves hot drinks, but they ask where you're going to sit with it (chairs are round the edge) and the toddlers are in the middle of the room. Seems to work.

[tootyflooty]

one toddler group I went to we had to pair up with another parent and we watched each others kids while the other one was in the kitchen drinking their coffee. I do think that adults should be able to use enough common sense to drink a hot drink carefully when surrounded by small kids.

[mrsmaidamess]

Am I being unreasonable to think toddlers should be banned from coffee shops?

After all, I've paid upwards of £3.00 for my latte. I go to coffee shops for MY gain...and if there's the slightest chance my expensive coffee will be spilt by some pesky toddler....

My friend and I watch each others coffee incase a child comes along looking to spill it.

[starbear]

Wouldn't have gone without the coffee and biscuits but didn't go for long any way. Relax and look after your own Lo and let other look after theirs. I'm not being rude just you need to take a step back. saw a kid being silly in the swimming pool, his mum was watching and not telling him off. He then cuts his head a little (I would say something if it was very dangrous)I gave 1st aid and helped with warm towels and carrying stuff. The mum thinks I'm an angel Thank god she didn't read my mind.

[LucyEllensmummy]

I think the problem comes when the M&T groups are overcrowded. I went to one that was packed to bursting point, they DID have a separate room for coffees etc, but the children were still around, it gave a bit of space but i think its a small miracale no one was scalded.