A MUM was left horrified after a trendy kitchen feature left her toddler with agonising, blistering burns.
Romain Woolhouse was left screaming in pain when he burned the sole of his foot on the kitchen floor, after the “trendy” slate tile baked in the sunny weather.
The toddler was having his nappy changed at his gran’s house on June 26 when he squirmed free and made a dash for the kitchen to race into the garden.
But the “wriggly” 16-month-old tot couldn’t get out as the patio door was closed, so he stood on the sun-drenched floor for a few seconds.
Romaine then let out an ear-piercing scream, prompting his gran to race into the kitchen and scoop him up.
Initially thinking he’d trodden on something, his concerned gran checked his right foot only to discover a huge blister bubbling up on the sole and one of his toes.
After running the burn under cold water, she raced Romain to hospital – ringing his mum Melanie Kay, 39, to let her know what had happened.
Now, Melanie is urging people to be mindful of the “freaky” hazard, after being told there’s been a surge in these injuries due to more people opting for “on-trend” ceramic and high-gloss flooring.
Melanie, from Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, said: “My mother-in-law was looking after him for the day, she’s absolutely devastated about it
“I would never have thought about indoor floor tiles. It’s so freaky, you couldn’t predict it.
“He’d been playing in the garden with his shoes and socks on as she’s aware of the outdoor flooring being very hot.
“Then she brought him into the house and she changed his nappy in the living room.
“He’s so wriggly and managed to escape from her, ran down the hallway and run barefoot into the kitchen.
“There’s a little area where the sun glares into the kitchen onto the black tiles and as soon as he’s got to that spot where they’re really hot he’s screamed straight away.
“It was super, super hot. Children and animals don’t have the reflexes to jump off. In the sun, flooring can get up to 80-degree Celsius.
“She scooped him up straight away and the blister was instant, it’s a two-inch by two-inch blister and a toe blister as well.”
Romain was driven to Hull Royal Infirmary in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, where doctors checked him over.
There he had the blister popped, scraped and dressed and the tot, who is limping on his right foot, is due for a check-up in the next few days.
Mum-of-one Melanie said: “They popped and they had to scrape the blister off, which was awful, due to the location.
You wouldn’t think of something like this happening because you have a false sense of security in your own home
Melanie Kay
“They then put a little pad on with antiseptic and wrapped it in a bandage.
“The staff said there’s been a rise in this happening because people are getting more on-trend kitchen flooring, which is slate and high-gloss.
“[They also mentioned] bi-folding doors [and that] they’re seeing a lot more of this happening with adults as well, because you open the door out and the sun glares into the room.
“They were really, really understanding.”
Now Melanie, who’s engaged to 28-year-old construction site manager Nathan Woolhouse, is urging parents to be mindful of the potential hazard.
Melanie said: “It’s astounding. You wouldn’t think of something like this happening because you have a false sense of security in your own home.
IF A child suffers burn or scald, you should try to cool the burn as quickly as possible before seeking medical advice.
A burn can be caused by dry heat such as contact with fire, a hot iron, or exposure to the sun.
A scald can be caused by contact with wet heat, like steam or a hot cup of tea.
Here’s what you need to do:
Once you’ve done the above, assess the burn to decide if further medical treatment is necessary.
Go to A&E for:
If your child is under the age of 10, take them to hospital.
Source: NHS
“Lots of other people were quite shocked by it as well, they said they would never think about something inside the home being such a hazard. It’s quite freaky isn’t it?
“My message to parents is just to be really careful of hazards in the hot weather not just outdoors but indoors and to take some steps like covering windows with curtains or blinds.”
