An outraged mom has posted photos of her toddler’s feet after a daycare allowed her to walk outside barefoot on a hot day.
Tiffanie Cedillo, who’s 16-month-old daughter is enrolled in Wee Care for All in Brenham, Texas. She received a call one day from one of the center’s employees, saying that her daughter had burns on her feet. Feeling very concerned, she asked Wee Care what happened, meanwhile recording the entire conversation.
Tiffanie was told that her daughter had a pretty bad bout of diarrhea that day — so bad that it ran down her legs and into her shoes. Understandably, the daycare workers didn’t want the child playing all day in socks full of poop, so they took them off.
Tiffanie spoke to the local news station KBTX about what happened after that :
“She said she was sent out on the playground with no shoes on, because earlier that day she had diarrhea and it went down to her shoes.”
When asked whether or not the burns were bad, Tiffanie said the person on the phone simply responded by saying it didn’t “look too good.”
After the call, Tiffanie went to pick up her daughter from the daycare center. When she arrived she said her child was “screaming.” Tiffanie immediately rushed her daughter to the emergency room. After inspecting the toddler’s feet, doctors declared she’d sustained second degree burns.
Tiffanie was shocked as to why daycare workers would be ok allowing her child to go outside without shoes, on a very hot day.
“It was almost a hundred degrees yesterday. It’s just common sense you don’t send kids out barefoot on the playground. My child was neglected and I would like for people to know that,” she said.
While it may sound like an oversight, pavement – particularly blacktop – can absorb lots of heat on a hot day. The same applies to playground equipment, which is why parents need to be careful, especially when their children are playing outside in warm weather.
AccuWeather spoke with Tom Kalousek, a certified playground safety instructor with the National Recreation and Park Association, who said that during the summer, it’s not uncommon to see playground equipment reach temperatures of 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. If you need that put into perspective, an egg fries at 157 degrees.
Kalousek also says that young children, because of their small size and sensitive skin, can become easily susceptible to second or third degree burns in a matter of seconds. By comparison, teens and and adults aren’t as susceptible.
“Younger children, especially under 5 years old, can suffer second- or third-degree burns in a matter of moments. They take their shoes and socks off and use their hands and feet to get around and don’t realize the dangers,” Kalousek continued.
Tiffanie’s daughter is expected to make a full recovery. But this story should definitely be a reminder to make sure your kids are wearing footwear while playing outside during summer.