A two-year old toddler is spending time in the burn unit of an Indiana hospital after the caregiver at his daycare center tried to apparently teach him a cruel lesson for poorly aiming while urinating.

After an initial claim that the boy simply 'fell' into a tub of lukewarm water, the caregiver acknowledged that the boy received scald burns when she deliberately placed him in boiling hot water at her home-based daycare center.

Now the caregiver and daycare owner, identified as Irene Martin, faces criminal charges of felony neglect and battery.  If convicted, Ms. Martin would spend at least 12-and-a-half years in jail.

Childhood burns

The toddler in this case sustained second degree burns to his legs, back and penis.  Part of the necessary medical treatment will likely include a procedure known as skin graft where healthy skin is harvested by surgeons and transferred to an burned area.

My heart goes out to this boy, who faces a painful recovery from this needless injury.  Sadly, scald burn injuries (caused by hot liquids or steam) is the most common type of burn-related injury amongst children.

Young childrens' developing skin makes them especially susceptible to severe burns from liquids that may be harmless to adults.  For example, if a young child is exposed to hot tap water at 140 degrees F-- for just three seconds-- he or she can sustain a third-degree burn.

Infants and toddlers are perhaps most vulnerable to scald-related burns because they lack the ability to appreciate the danger.  Parents and caregivers should take extra precautions to prevent burns of young children.  Common burn prevention includes:

• Never leaving kids unattended in a shower or bath-- when they can modify the water temperature
• Reduce the temperature on water-heaters
• Never boil water in pot at the front of the stove
• Don't microwave liquids

Related:

Daycare owner charged with scalding toddler Fox19.com October 24, 2010

Preventing Uniintentional Scald Burns- Moving Beyond Tap Water (PDF) Pediatrics 2008;122;799-804, Gina Lowell, Kyran Quinlan and Lawrence J. Gottlieb

BURN INJURY (PDF)

Kids Health: Burns

Nursing Homes Abuse Blog: Burns In The Nursing Home Population Pose A Serious Threat Of Injury & Further Medical Complications