Preventable Pain: Why Scald Burns Should Never Happen at a Daycare Center

What Are Scald Burns and How Do They Happen at Texas Daycare Centers?

Scald burns happen when a child’s skin comes in contact hot water, overly hot foods and beverages, steam, or other hot liquids. For little ones, scald burns are especially dangerous as these injuries can quickly become serious third-degree burns, impacting all layers of a young child’s skin and nerves in a matter of seconds.

In a daycare setting, our experienced daycare injury lawyers have seen firsthand how little ones suffer scald burns caused by:

• Bottle Warmers: These devices, which are found in daycare centers, use boiling water to heat formula in baby bottles. When caregivers do not properly store bottle warmers or leave curious toddlers unattended around these gadgets with hanging cords, the aftermath can be devastating for children and their parents.
• Foods and Liquids that Are Too Hot: Daycare centers that provide children with meals and snacks must ensure caregivers closely check the temperatures of the foods and drinks they heat up in a microwave before serving them to little ones. Foods and drinks that are heated for too long can get “hot spots,” meaning the liquid or food is unevenly cooked and can burn a child, even if part of the food feels lukewarm to the touch. 
• Hot Water from Sinks: If a caregiver does not check the water temperature before helping a child wash their hands or giving a bath, using too hot water can easily cause a scald burn. The same is true for toddlers who are not closely supervised while learning to wash their hands. Even Texas childcare laws, also known as minimum standards, require a thermostat be used to control how hot the water is that is accessible to children, such as water from the faucet of a sink, and have the water temperature set to no more than 120 degrees.
• Steam Cleaning: While cleaning is an essential part of keeping a daycare center a safe environment, using hot steam to kill germs can pose a serious threat when a child is exposed to a sudden blast of steam from a steam mop or high-powered steam cleaner.

As we mentioned above, scald burns can cause third-degree burns, which, in severe cases, can lead to death. They can also leave a child in serious pain and discomfort for a prolonged amount of time while the burn is being treated and healing. A scald burn may require surgery or skin grafts to treat properly. Once healed, the scald burn can leave permanent scars or discoloration if it reaches several layers of skin.

Little ones who suffer a scald burn at a daycare center may also suffer emotionally. We have helped families after burn injuries at daycare centers left their children with anxiety disorders and a fear of caregivers or eating, depending on how their scald injury occurred. The trauma from suffering a scald burn at a daycare center can also cause a child to experience nightmares, separation anxiety, and, especially for toddlers or preschoolers, delayed or regressed milestones.

How Can Texas Daycare Centers Prevent Children from Suffering Scald Burn Injuries?

The minimum standards dictate how a daycare center and its caregivers should operate to protect little ones from suffering injuries such as scald burns while on their watch. These guidelines include:

• Allowing hot food or liquids to cool and testing them for safe temperatures before serving them to children
• Closely watching little ones by always being in close visual and auditory proximity
• Having caregivers test the water temperature before helping a child wash their hands or giving a child a bath
• Operating all classrooms “in ratio” to ensure that caregivers properly supervise children
• Properly storing bottle warmers so the gadgets and any parts, such as the cord, are out of a child’s reach
• Setting the water heater at the daycare center to a safe maximum temperature
• Using a bottle warmer and following the manufacturer’s instructions to heat bottles with milk or formula evenly

In addition to the prevention methods listed, caregivers and daycare directors should be trained in first aid and emergency medical response procedures so that they can act quickly if a child suffers a scald burn injury.

Can I Sue a Daycare Center If My Child Suffered a Scald Burn at a Daycare Center?

If your child suffered a scald burn injury at a daycare center, you have the legal right to file a lawsuit against the center to hold the facility and any responsible caregivers accountable for failing to keep your child safe.

After a child’s scald injury at a daycare center, your family may be entitled to damages, or compensation, such as:

• Emotional distress
• Medical expenses, including a child’s ongoing burn treatments and play therapy, or other mental health resources that help them process the traumatic daycare incident
• Mental anguish
• Other out-of-pocket expenses
• Pain and suffering

Our Texas daycare injury lawyers have helped many families get justice after a child suffers burn injuries at daycare. We are ready to listen and help you determine the best path to help your family move forward. Contact us by calling 214-699-4409 or emailing [email protected] for a free case evaluation.

It is important to understand that when a daycare center knows the facility or its caregivers were not abiding by the minimum standards, your child suffered a scald burn, and there is concrete evidence of their safety failures from surveillance footage. The center may approach you and offer you a sum of money in exchange for you waiving your right to take legal action. However, we encourage you to wait and consult with one of our experienced daycare injury lawyers who understand the complexities involved in these cases and can explain the full compensation your family may be entitled to should a case move forward.

Learn more about the process of filing a daycare lawsuit to hold a daycare center accountable after a scald burn by watching this video.

Helping Your Family After a Daycare Burn Injury

If your child was scalded by a hot liquid or suffered another kind of burn injury at a daycare center, but you are not ready to reach out to our team, check out these free resources:

• A 5-Step Guide for Parents Dealing with a Daycare Injury
• What to Do If Your Child Is Burned at Daycare
• A Parents’ Guide to Common Daycare Burn Incidents in Texas
• Who Pays for Medical Bills After My Child Was Burned by a Bottle Warmer at a Daycare Center in Texas?

Did You Child Suffer a Scald Burn at a Daycare Center? Contact The Button Law Firm.

If your child was seriously injured by a scald burn at a daycare center anywhere in Texas, contact our experienced Texas daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. With lawyers in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our lawyers at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Call us at 214-699-4409, email us at [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.