Parents Warned About Risk Of 'Severe Burns' To Young Kids From Plugged In Phone Chargers

Parents are being warned to ensure phone chargers are not left plugged in around children, after a mother claimed her daughter suffered a serious electrical burn.

Courtney Davis, from the US, shared photos on Facebook of her 19-month-old daughter who had got hold of her phone charger and sucked on it.

The mum immediately took her toddler to the doctor, who she said confirmed her child had an electric burn. The toddler is being referred to a plastic surgeon.

Responding to the Facebook post that has been shared 300,000 times, Sheila Merrill, public health adviser for The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) told HuffPost UK: “Mobile phone chargers are a common feature of an everyday household, and if left plugged in can cause severe burns, as well as being an increased fire hazard.”

Teresa Short via Getty Images

Merrill continued: “Babies and young children are naturally inquisitive, and are tempted to put things in their mouths. Unfortunately this can include wires.

“We want parents, grandparents, childminders and carers to be aware of the danger and understand that these seemingly harmless phone chargers can cause serious injury to children.”

A burns specialist from RoSPA told HuffPost UK parents should be warned that if a child bites or chews through an electrical cable carrying a mains charge, it can lead to a serious and “potentially disabling” electrical injury.

Speaking about her daughter’s burn on Facebook, Davis added: “It took all of a few seconds for her to get burned.

“She had never tried to put it in her mouth [before] and she had never messed with it.

“My daughter was lucky, the next kid may not be as lucky as her.”

Before You Go

7 Fun Creative Craft Projects For Toddlers

Make a crown fit for a prince or princess(01 of07)

Wrap bendable card around your child's head, take the measurement and trim off the excess card. Next, cut the card into a crown using a zigzag or get creative and try sticky-up hair or a favourite animal’s head or ears. Now it's your toddler's turn to decorate the card with felt tip pens, paint and glued-on bits of paper. Once they’re done staple the short sides together to create the crown. This is a great craft project for a play date. (credit:Matelly via Getty Images)

Make a car for whacky races(02 of07)

Large cardboard boxes are just begging to be transformed into cars. Glue paper plates to the side as wheels and let your child's imagination roar. They may want to draw in people and make a bus or add windscreens and doors but let them take the driving seat. (credit:patrickheagney via Getty Images)

Make a mask(03 of07)

Make masks with paper plates, hole punched on either side and threaded with elastic to fit your child's head. Your toddler can create whatever face they like using pens, paint, cut up tissue paper for hair and pipe cleaners for whiskers. (credit:igor kisselev, www.close-up.biz via Getty Images)

Make a model with modelling clay(04 of07)

Toddlers love squishing, rolling and moulding play dough with different shaped cutters and their hands. Keep your homemade play dough in a sealed container or mix up a new batch with this super simple recipe: 3 cups of flour; 2 tablespoons of cornflour, 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of cold water and 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. Your toddler will love mixing up the ingredients. Divide your dough and choose different food colourings. Note: The salt content of homemade play dough is very high - keep an eye on your toddler to make sure they don’t eat any. (credit:Westend61 via Getty Images)

Do some potato printing and finger painting(05 of07)

Halve a few potatoes and cut out shapes of stars, circles, letters or animals (whatever your child asks you to do). Then, dip the cut out potato half into washable, brightly coloured poster paint and it's time for some stamping fun on plain paper. Hand printing is lots of squelchy fun too (and you'll have a lovely record of just how little their hands were). (credit:Michaela Gunter via Getty Images)

Make some binoculars or a telescope(06 of07)

This couldn't be simpler: after your toddler has painted two cardboard tubes the colours of their choice, tape them together for a pair of binoculars. A single longer roll (from your kitchen towel) makes a great pirate's telescope too. (credit:Chris Stein via Getty Images)

Make some silly glasses(07 of07)

Cut out a pair of glasses in plain cardboard. Stick coloured cellophane into the holes as lenses and let your toddler paint them in bright, funky colours. Once the paint is dry, provide a selection of sparkly bits and pieces to decorate: think sequins, buttons, self-adhesive spots, even pasta shapes. Now your toddler is ready for a super-cute photo opportunity. Note: Ensure your toddler is supervised at all times as small objects like sequins and buttons are choking hazards. (credit:Westend61 via Getty Images)