An 11-month-old boy allegedly sustained first and second-degree burns while crawling unsupervised in an outdoor area at an infant care centre.

The child's mother, Aresha, took to Facebook and shared the incident as a "cautionary heads up to other parents" to check on their children's infant care centre regularly to ensure that it is safe and "not just assume it will be the case."

Wandered out back

Aresha wrote that her 11-month-old had wandered into the backyard of the infant care centre, which is located in East Coast.

The staff had apparently left the child unsupervised on the ground while cleaning the diaper-changing table.

The boy then crawled into the backyard under the "hot mid-day direct sun" and touched either the AstroTurf or a slide that was allegedly "scorching hot", resulting in the burns.

The incident happened on Mar. 18 at 1:15pm, and the centre notified her at 2:45pm over WhatsApp, Aresha told Mothership.

The centre also provided closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and photos of the burns in the message.

Aresha added that the centre was unsure what caused the burn, so based on the CCTV footage, she assumed it was either the AstroTurf or a slide.

She shared that they noticed several "other hazards" within the child's reach in the CCTV footage, like a laundry rack, paint cans and glue traps on the floor.

This "clearly demonstrates an area not safe for children to explore on their own, sun or not," she added.

The backyard was also "considerably different" from what she was shown during the centre's open house, as it had changed from an outdoor play area to a diaper-changing and storage area.

Escalated to ECDA

Aresha said that the centre was apologetic and offered to pick up the medical bills and provide one-to-one care, which she appreciated and noted was the "right thing to do".

She also escalated the situation to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA):

"It's hard for us to let the incident pass as it resulted in quite a severe injury which has resulted in our child not being able to move around safely or use [his] hands fully for over a month," she explained.

She added that the accident could have been easily avoided if safety standards were met.

Recovery

In her Facebook post, Aresha said her son's hands would be bandaged for two to four weeks, depending on the healing process.

She added that he was "pretty traumatised", waking up in tears at night.

Aresha shared with Mothership that her son is currently recovering and finding ways to be mobile with his bandages on.

She has since withdrawn her son from the centre and is in the process of getting him into another one.

"It's going to be so hard for us to trust any other infant childcare provider now, but we don't have a choice."

In response to media queries, ECDA said they are aware of the incident and investigations have begun.

In the meantime, ECDA has instructed the centre's staff to remain vigilant in their supervision and care of the infants.

“The safety and well-being of children in preschools is of utmost importance. ECDA takes a serious view of lapses that compromise child safety. Actions will be taken against the preschool operator and staff if there is evidence of negligence.”

Top photos via Aresha Krishnan/Facebook