S'pore girl, 3, scalds tongue after McDonald's staff fills bottle with boiling hot water

A three-year-old girl in Singapore scalded her tongue after drinking from her insulated water bottle that was mistakenly filled with boiling hot water.

Her parents had asked for cold water from the staff at the McDonald's Ridout Tea Garden outlet, but a miscommunication led to the flask being filled with hot water instead.

Asked for cold water

In a Feb. 4, Facebook post, the girl's father, Ridhuan Muhamad, said that he was sharing his story on the social media platform as a reminder for other parents to be "extra careful".

While he hoped the outlet would take steps to prevent a recurrence, he also admitted that they themselves should have checked before letting his daughter drink from the bottle.

According to Ridhuan, they had visited the McDonald's on Feb. 1.

The location tag of the post indicates that the outlet in question was the Ridout Tea Garden outlet.

During the visit, he had asked for cold water to be filled in his daughter's insulated water bottle.

He explained to 8world that the water bottle had a straw and it was obvious that it was not a milk bottle.

After it was filled by the staff, he handed the water bottle to his daughter.

However, she started trembling and covered her mouth after taking a sip from the bottle, Ridhuan said.

It was only then that they discovered that the water in the bottle was hot.

Acknowledged mistake but hoped staff will be more careful

In videos shared by Ridhuan, his three-year-old could be seen sobbing and red-eyed after being scalded.

Singapore Civil Defence Force officers were also seen attending to the child.

According to Ridhuan, the family ended up making a trip to the hospital.

Their daughter was also left unable to eat or drink properly after the incident. However, she is now in a stable condition.

"Seeing her crying in pain and so frightened broke our heart[s]," he wrote on Facebook.

While he acknowledged that, as parents, they had made a mistake by not checking the contents of the bottle before allowing their daughter to drink from it, he also hoped that the fast food outlet can "improve checks so this doesn't happen to another child."

"A small mistake can cause big harms," Ridhuan remarked.

"A painful reminder for parents too — always double check drinks given to our little ones," he wrote in conclusion.

Parents had hands full at the time

In the comments, the three-year-old's mother elaborated on what transpired.

She shared that apart from their three-year-old, they also had their other daughter with them and, so, their hands were full in that moment.

"Our hands were full, and everything happened very quickly."

She added that while trying to manage the situation, they had made a miscalculated decision.

"Before the incident, I even suggested to my husband to just take water from the car or ask for water in a cup instead. In almost four years of parenting, we have never let strangers handle our children’s belongings. But in that rushed moment, with our daughter crying for water snd the other one was being fussy and everyone trying to help, we made a decision we normally wouldn’t. Our minds were fogged, and we were simply trying to manage the situation."

She reiterated that they did not blame the outlet entirely and acknowledged their own mistake as parents, but reminded commenters who were pointing fingers to be compassionate.

Miscommunication between customer and staff: McDonald's

A McDonald's spokesperson told 8world that preliminary investigations showed that there was a miscommunication between the customer and service staff.

The spokesperson said that McDonald's is in touch with the customer and is providing the necessary assistance.

The spokesperson also said that the safety and well-being of the restaurants' customers are a priority and that it is working with the outlet's staff to improve its processes and communication with customers, especially when handling requests for hot food items.

Top image via Ridhuan Muhamad / Facebook