Libbie Patterson was left screaming in agony as the boiling hot drink splashed over her face, shoulders and back after she grabbed it from the kitchen counter.
The 16-month-old girl was raced to hospital by her frantic mum Emma where medics spent three nights treating her for burns.
But medics hope Libbie's face - which has been left disfigured following the incident - will not be permanently scarred.
Now Emma has released a picture of Libbie's injuries to warn other parents about the dangers of hot drinks.
The 24-year-old said: "The cup was close to the edge of the work surface and she reached up and grabbed it. It went over her face, shoulders, stomach and back.
"She screamed and started to cry. I stripped her off and doused her in cold towels after I called for an ambulance and she was still screaming.
"Libbie's face was starting to peel and blister and it wasn't a nice sight. They had to shave her head and she was in a bad way."
Scalds from hot drinks are the most common cause of burn injury for children aged under five and it takes only a second to cause a deep burn from hot water at 70 degrees Celsius.
The incident has left Emma feeling 'guilty'.
She said: "The doctors have said that she will scar on her shoulders but nowhere else and that's quite lucky. The doctors said that it could have blinded her and scarred all of her face.
"She is being herself now and her skin just needs to heal a bit more. If I hadn't made that cup of tea, It wouldn't have happened. It is amazing how making a cup of tea can have such devastating consequences.
"I want to make parents aware of how easily things like this can happen. We didn't have a child gate on the kitchen but I do now. I've learned all the lessons.
Post a Comment