What Parents Need to Know After a Bottle Warmer Burn at Daycare

What Parents Need to Know After a Bottle Warmer Burn at Daycare  

No parent wants to think about the possibility of their child being injured at daycare, but unfortunately, incidents can happen, such as young children who are burned by popular bottle warmers. In fact, an average of more than 300 children visit emergency rooms every day for burn injuries, according to the American Burn Association. And, burns are listed among the top five most common childhood injuries by the World Health Organization.

Our knowledgeable Texas daycare burn injury lawyers are helping to educate parents about burns caused by bottle warmers, including how they happen and what to do if your child experiences a burn injury while at a daycare center. 

How Do Bottle Warmer Burn Injuries Happen at Texas Daycare Centers?

Bottle warmers are popular among childcare facilities that have infant classrooms or nurseries. The electric gadgets not only quickly warm bottles of breast milk or formula but they also take the guesswork out of heating up liquids for busy childcare workers and promise no hot spots or boiling milk. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

While these small devices can be convenient, our experienced daycare injury lawyers have found that bottle warmers are a common cause of daycare burn injuries for babies and toddlers. These incidents can happen at daycare centers when:

• An unsupervised child pulls a loose cord on the bottle warmer, causing hot water or milk to spill on them. A scalding incident like this is the primary way that toddlers and children are most likely to be burned, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
• An improperly stored bottle warmer tips over because it is not safely secured
• A bottle warmer is unsafely left on a surface within reach of a child, and it is accidentally knocked over, or little hands get inside it

What Injuries Can Children Sustain from Bottle Warmers?

Burn injuries are the leading cause of death and disability among children ages 1-4, according to a 2022 study published in the National Library of Medicine. Most children who are burned by bottle warmers at daycare centers experience thermal burns. These burns happen when the skin meets the hot surface of a bottle warmer. Thermal burns can range from mild to severe.

Depending on the severity of the burn from a bottle warmer at daycare, a child’s injuries can include:

• First-, second-, or third-degree burns
• Loss of limbs
• Muscle or tissue damage
• Painful blisters and peeling skin

Along with extreme pain and discomfort, burn injuries can result in a child experiencing shock. They can also create an extensive reaction of the body that requires expensive, intense medical treatments and procedures, long-term care, and substantial rehabilitation. In some cases, the damage caused by a bottle warmer burn injury can be fatal.

In addition, a burn injury that causes extreme pain can significantly impact a young child’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, preschool-aged children can experience separation anxiety from their parents, have problems regulating emotions such as crying or screaming a lot, lose their appetite, and have nightmares following a traumatic event like a bottle warmer burn.

What Should You Do If Your Child Is Burned by a Bottle Warmer at a Daycare Center?

Most children’s bottle warmer burn injuries can be avoided with adequate supervision, which involves the daycare center maintaining proper child-to-caregiver ratios. But, if your child is burned by a bottle warmer at a daycare in Texas, what should you do? Our daycare injury lawyers have created this list of five key steps to follow:

1. Take your child to an urgent care clinic, pediatrician, or emergency room as soon as possible for medical attention
2. Get an incident report from your child’s daycare. The report provides a written record of what happened at the daycare, especially if your child’s burn is severe.
3. Report the incident to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) by calling the Texas Abuse Hotline at 800-252-5400 or making a report online at TXAbuseHotline.org. Per Texas laws, the daycare center is required to report any incidents resulting in a child's injury. Your report ensures the daycare is following the state’s safety protocols.
4. Keep track of all correspondence from the childcare facility and its workers. Screenshot text messages and emails discussing the incident, take pictures or make copies of any letters from the daycare or its workers, and make detailed notes of any phone calls with the daycare as they occur. While it may be overwhelming to remember these steps when you are more concerned about your child, keeping a file of correspondence can benefit your family’s legal case to hold the daycare accountable for your child’s bottle warmer burn.
5. Reach out to our experienced daycare injury lawyers by calling 214-699-4409 or filling out a contact form. Burn injuries caused by bottle warmers can be very painful and result in significant physical and emotional trauma for your child. In fact, your family may be eligible for compensation to cover your child’s medical expenses, therapy and other helpful resources, and pain and suffering. We will be ready to listen and advise your family on the best approach to hold the daycare accountable and get justice for your child’s injuries. However, there is a two-year time limit for filing a personal injury claim in Texas, so reach out to our team as soon as possible.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Texas Daycare Bottler Warmer Burn Injury Lawyers

Our team of experienced and compassionate daycare bottle warmer burn injury attorneys at The Button Law Firm is dedicated to advocating for you and your family if your child experiences a burn injury from a bottle warmer while in the care of a Texas daycare facility. With offices in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our attorneys 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 or fill out a contact form for a free consultation.