Christen Stroderd said she was doing what every other mom does, multitasking.
"She woke up from a nap and I was fixing me some food," Christen said. "It was late, and her birthday party was that day. I was cleaning and all of the things, so I sat her on the counter with this arm and started dumping the Ramen noodles with this hand."
Before Christen could react, Scarlett grabbed the Ramen noodles.
"I called my mom and told her that it looked fine....then her skin started slipping off of her hand," Christen said. "I started to freak out, crying, so I woke up my husband and told him that we have to go to the hospital. They told us that it looked like second degree burns."
In fact, Scarlett had second- and third-degree burns. She had to undergo three surgeries and now therapy. Her first night home after the surgeries, Christen said was the worst she ever experienced.
"Her body didn't have that bearing to keep it in," Christen said. "They said it's dangerous because a baby can get dehydrated. The first night was the worst from the fluid coming out of her arm."
The experience was a learning lesson for Christen, that no matter how hard you try anything can happen in an instant.
"Moms are human," Christen said. "We aren't superheroes and aren't perfect. For a second, I just sat my daughter down, holder her, watching her the entire time, she was just fast, and wanted to eat the noodles. I'm human, I can't do everything that people expect moms to do."
Dr. Joey Barrios, director of the Burn Unit at Our Lady of Lourdes, said what happened to Scarlett is common. Many of the cases they see resulted from a burn in the kitchen.
The best advice he can give is to keep kids safe is to keep them out of the kitchen.
"The kitchen is not the place for kids, certainly around the hot stove top and range tops," Dr. Barrios said. "We see it all of the time. Kids pulling things off the counter, out of the microwave, off the stove top to see what Mom is cooking. Or Mom not realizing that the kid is in the kitchen, trips and spills some type of hot liquid and ends up with a scald burn. Kids should not be within eight to ten feet of the hot surface. Ideally, out of the kitchen while someone is cooking."
As for Scarlett, Christen said she will continue therapy and by the time Scarlett is older, that scar on her hand will be a distant memory.
DO:
- Run cool water over the burn
- Take off clothing that may be holding the hot substance
- If you see blistering, head to the ER
DON'T:
- Put ice on a burn
- Run it under ice cold water
Remember, burns will progress and what you see on day one is not what you'll see on day two or three. Keep an eye on it and if blistering occurs, seek medical attention.