To feel so sad for this mum and baby but still think she could have been more careful?

[Vivia]

Was in Costa just now. I was in the queue getting a takeaway while two mums were sitting with their newborns on the comfy sofa nearby. Very gorgeous scrunchy babies. I noticed that one mum had the baby lying vertically on her lap, so baby's feet at mother's chest and baby's head near the table. I thought it looked precarious.

And it was. As I walked out, I glanced back I noticed the mum reach over her baby's head and pick up the piping hot mug of coffee. She dropped the large mug of black coffee on the child's face and body. In that split second, I almost didn't register what happened. I ran back in. The security guard from nearby was jumped over chairs and tables to get to the baby, the mother was screaming 'help me!' The security had whipped the newborn to a sink of water and staff were calling the ambulance. The baby screamed at first then went horribly silent. Poor child had been hit in the face by a large, falling china mug and thoroughly scalded by coffee.

I feel so sad but wish the mum had realized that reaching over a newborn to pick up coffee is a terrible idea? I don't mean to judge her but

oh god thats awfull!!!!

any chance it had cooled....alot??

Horrible.

Yes maybe she shouldve been more careful but I remember once dh sitting drinking tea with newborn ds on his knee. We were sleep deprived, had never had a baby before, etc etc. Dont think she really needs judging. I just hope she's ok and the baby isn't too badly injured.

PS didnt mean you were horrible. meant situation was horrible.

Oh god, that made me stomach churn reading that!

Poor poor baby, and poor mum too! I feel so sorry for her. She made a mistake, she got it wrong, God know we all do sometimes.

was it hot?

sounds like a terrible accident to me and one which the mother will no doubt berate herself for

God- how terrible. You know, I think these things are a matter of experience. I might well have done the same without thinking (currently expecting DC1 and not too much experience with tiny babies) whereas once you've had children a while I imagine you get into the careful mindset.

I really hope the baby is ok.

If she was going to drink it then it must have been cooling for a while so hopefully won't have been too hot

ThreeBlondeBoys - I wish, but I can say for certain it was piping coffee they had while I queued right next to them.

I don't want to judge her, I want them to be ok, and I want people to realize that even the simple task of picking up your coffee is different with a newborn. Poor mum, poor baby. She was so distraught.

Sounds horrific! That poor babe. We all need to be more careful than we are I guess. But when you're tired, and caught off guard...accidents can happen to anyone.

I can understand why you're upset tho seeing a baby getting burnt like that. If they got it under cold water so quickly it might not be as bad as it could have been....

poor them our HV told us on 1st visit not to hold baby and hot drink at the same times as it's a major cause of injury for babies, one they see reported all the time - she scared me enough that I've barely had a hot drink in 5 months now...

hope they're both ok.

How truly AWFUL. That poor baby, and the poor mother will live with that forever. She will never forget the sounds of her baby shrieking. I just hope that baby isn't badly hurt.

No need to judge, we all make mistakes, esp when first time parents. There but for the grace of God, and all that... The only difference is that not all of them have such a terrible outcome.

oh that's awful- really feel for them both. These things happen. No judging required. I filled a pan with boiling water from the kettle yesterday to but some pasta on and turned round with it in my hand and almost fell over my 20mth old who had sneaked up behind me- luckily I didn't fall or spill any water but I could easily have done.

Sorry, OP, I see you have said that you don't want to judge.

i was clutching at straws....hoping she had left it to cool for a while!

so poor baby will be scarred for life...if it survives?

i can only feel sympathy for the mum,even though it was preventable.

Oh come on. Where was the common sense here??

oh bloody hell.

My cousin pulled a cup of coffee over himself when he was eighteen months old. He spent months in hospital and had to go through years of plastic surgery.

Hope the baby is ok.

Aw that poor baby & Mum,i bet she feels absolutely horrendous right now.

What a horrible thing to witness,i hope the baby is OK.

How terrible. When DS was a newborn it was one of my worst fears. I was very very PFB about hot drinks around him ( still am actually as he can grab them himself these days). That said sleep deprivation can make you feel like you're wading around under water and I'm quite sure most people have unintentionally put their DCs in a situation where something could possibly go wrong but 99% of the time doesn't. I very much hope both she and her baby are completly fine.

How awful but quick thinking of the security guard to whip the baby under cold water, hopefully it will lessen the effects of the scalding. Poor wee thing.

Large mug of black coffee? In Costa? Hopefully you were too far away to see properly and she was drinking a cool, milky latte.

Argh, poor bubba.

Not judging here, the number of stupid things I did when DS was little are uncountable and the fact that he is alive and relatively un-scarred is due to luck rather than good parenting. Everyone does stuff without thinking.

Hope that the fast action with the cooler water helped and that the baby is OK.

Agree with Junglist.

Oh dear god how awful.

Hopefully the Costa is as crap as the one I use and seves up tepid drinks.

Poor poor baby., That mother will never forgive herself.

If they got the baby under cold water fast and kept the poor little sod in cold running water at least until the ambulance got there, then scarring may be minimal. Poor mum and poor baby, but shit does happen and it could happen to anyone.

Poor things.

Quick action will have made a big difference. ANd better black coffee than one with milk, etc in - easier to deal with.