Burns and scalds are among the most serious injuries a child can suffer. According to the Children’s Burn Trust (CBT), in 2024 alone, over 9,000 children in the UK were treated for severe burns and scalds by NHS specialist burns services. These are not minor injuries, they cause lasting damage and often require extensive medical treatment.  

This blog will cover:

• Real Accidents, Real People
• Causes and prevention of Burns and Scalds 

Real Accidents, Real People:  

This is a real story from a parent who wished to remain anonymous. Recalling their experience, they said ‘the day after my daughter’s first birthday, our lives changed forever. 

It was a normal morning — I was making breakfast while my daughter played nearby. I usually have iced coffee, but that day I had run out of milk and used a hot coffee sachet instead. I placed it on the counter, just for a moment. In the few seconds it took me to turn away and switch on the TV, my daughter had somehow climbed onto a kitchen cabinet or used a spoon to reach it. The coffee spilled all over her. 

She suffered 7% burns. I was only ten steps away — in the same room. 

To this day, I still don’t fully understand how it happened, and she may never be able to tell me. But it did. And those few seconds changed everything. 

We rushed to A&E, but the short drive felt like a lifetime. After examination, we were transferred to the burns unit at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. She spent seven days in recovery. Her bandages were changed every three days, part of her hair was shaved, and she developed an infection. 

For two days, she was completely blind due to the swelling on her face. Watching your baby in that kind of pain is indescribable. 

The medical staff — nurses, surgeons, and doctors — were phenomenal. I’ll always be grateful for their care. Days 2 to 4 were the hardest, but by day 6, she began to turn a corner. We were discharged on day 7, and the at-home recovery began: daily scrubbing, moisturising, and follow-up care. She had regular checkups until finally being discharged in December 2023. 

In October, with the help of our amazing community, we raised £700 for the hospital. That money went toward toys and equipment for the children, as well as cooking essentials for the parents’ kitchen — turning our pain into purpose. 

I decided to share our story on social media because children suffer burn injuries 30 times a day, yet this is something people rarely talk about. 

Since then, our story has reached millions. It’s been featured on BBC News, ITV News, BBC 3 Counties Radio, and in several magazines and online publications. But what matters most to me is the parents who message me every day, saying our story helped them prevent a burn — or helped their child through recovery. 

Burns happen in seconds. You never think it will happen to you — until it does. 

That’s why I became a Child Burn Safety Ambassador: 

Because safety doesn’t start after an accident — it starts now. 

Causes and Prevention of Burns and Scalds: 

Burns result from contact with dry heat, such as open flames, hair straighteners, or hot surfaces like a pan handle. Scalds, on the other hand, are caused by wet heat such as hot liquids or steam. 

Hot Drinks  

Every day in the UK, around 30 babies or toddlers are taken to hospital after being scalded by a hot drink (CBT).  

These scalds can be prevented by keeping hot drinks out of reach of young children, not carrying a hot drink whilst carrying a baby or passing a hot drink over the heads of young children.  

Hob  

642 children were admitted to an NHS Burns Service due to injuries related to an electric hob in 2023. This does not include the many more who were treated in A&E departments. (International Burn Injury Database, iBID) 

A simple way to reduce risk is by using the back rings on the hob whenever possible and turning pot handles inward so little hands can’t grab them. Adding a stove or hob guard adds an extra layer of protection, helping to block access to hot surfaces and boiling pans. Close supervision and keeping children out of the kitchen during cooking can make a big difference in preventing serious injuries. 

Kettle  

In 2023, there were 446 children admitted to an NHS Burns Service due to injuries related to kettle spills (CBT). Kettle cords can be dangerously tempting for young children, especially if they’re dangling over the edge of a counter. To help prevent accidents, always keep cords tucked well out of reach, ideally toward the back of the work surface. Using a kettle with a short or coiled cord can also reduce the risk of a child pulling it down.