Mum blasted as ‘patronising’ for telling fellow mum she’d put tot in danger during heatwave – but some say she was RIGHT
A MUM has sparked a fierce debate after informing a fellow parent she was putting her baby at risk during a heatwave.
The incident took place after the mum had popped down to a nearby park and spotted a baby taking a nap in a pram.
According to the mum, who shared the story on Mumsnet, it was a hot day and she had taken her dog, as well as her six-month-old out for a walk.
Whilst walking around the park, she noticed there were two mums enjoying a picnic in the sun with no shade nearby.
One of the duo had a baby napping in the pram and to create some shade, she had taken two muslins and ”draped them over the opening of the bassinet and clipped them with pram clips across the openings”.
The concerned mum went on in the post: ”I’m pretty sure that this creates a hothouse type effect and can be quite dangerous.
”I actually had DS2 [Dear Son Too] also napping and had a snuzshade draped over to stop the sunlight creeping in (black thin material with air holes to create shade but let the air flow).”
Despite initially being reluctant to interfere and say something, she finally decided to go up to the two mums.
”I ummed and errd but decided I had to say something so really thought about the least offensive way to say it (I’m sure I could have found better!!).”
However, after explaining that the muslin hack was dangerous, the conversation didn’t end well.
The mum who had been enjoying the picnic suddenly hit back at the woman and ordered her to ”f**k off”.
Mortified, the woman then told her pal about the incident – however, even the friend blasted her as ”patronising”.
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”Yup, I probably did come across like that but that poor baby was probably roasting in there!” the parent said.
Posting on her Facebook page, childcare expert Sophie Campbell conducted an experiment using a doll toy to prove just how quickly buggies heat up underneath even the lightest of blankets.
She wrote: “I know this subject has been posted many a times, but still to this day, I see babies/ children in pushchairs on very sunny and hot days with blankets draped over them to block the sun and heat out…. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!!!
“Today I did an experiment with my [baby doll] in her pushchair, to be able to show what actually happens to the temperature.”
At the start of the experiment, Sophie popped a thermometer in the uncovered buggy – and it was already at a sweltering 35C.
The parenting pro then covered the pram with a blanket and checked the thermometer a little over ten minutes later.
She continued: “The temperature had risen to 45 degrees!! Another 15 minutes later we were pushing onto nearly 50 degrees.
“All I can say is, thank goodness Dolly is a dolly.
”Please, please think before you do this to an actual child as the thought of the outcome is just unbearable.
“Please share the life out of this post to reach people who may not know how severe doing this could be!”
The post soon went viral, racking a range of mixed responses.
One reckoned: ”You were patronising and interfering.”
Another agreed, adding: ”It sounds to me like you were trying to sell them a product.
”I know it’s dangerous to have the muslins like that, as you say, but it’s never going to be well received.”
Someone else, meanwhile, thought the mum had done nothing wrong.
”Honestly, when it comes to a child’s health I’d have done the same. You did your part.”
”I think you were fine saying what you did,” a forth insisted.
”She was incredibly rude. If she didn’t want your advice she could have just smiled and said ‘ok’.
”I didn’t know this about muslins with my first ten years ago. If someone had said what you had, my response would have been ‘really?! Oh! Thanks’.”