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The dangers of hot liquids
More than half of hospitalizations are caused by scald burns. Scalds are burns from hot water or liquids. Young children under the age of five suffer 83 percent of all scald injuries requiring hospital admission.
Keep your child away from hot liquids
Spilled tea, coffee, soup and hot tap water are the leading causes of this painful and potentially serious injury.
Reduce the hot water temperature in your home
Hot tap water could seriously burn your child. Tap water causes nearly a third of scald burns requiring hospitalization, Many Canadian homes have hot water that is 60o Celsius (140o Fahrenheit). This can cause a third-degree burn on your child's skin in just one second. For more information, read How to lower your hot water temperature.
Keep your child safely out of the way when you are cooking
In a matter of seconds hot liquids could fall on your child and burn them badly. Put your baby or toddler in a high chair or playpen to keep them from being burned or scalded by hot liquids. Make sure preschoolers stay seated at the kitchen table or out of the way while you are cooking. You could also use a safety gate to keep your children out of the kitchen when cooking. Cooking on the back burners and turning the pot handles prevents your child from being able to reach the pots.
Use a cup with a tight-fitting lid, like the type of travel cup
Keep cords from your kettle and other appliances out of your child's reach
Your child could pull at the cords of the kettle hanging over the edge of the counter and scald themselves with the hot water from the kettle.
