Mom's Injury Reminds Us That Babywearing While Cooking Is A Terrible Idea

Mom shares burn photo to warn other parents about the dangers of babywearing

When your fussy baby wants to be held but you have a ton of things to do, using a baby carrier seems like the perfect solution to make you both happy. But one mom is warning fellow parents about the potential danger that comes with wearing a baby in a sling or carrier after she suffered a horrible kitchen accident that could have been much, much worse.

Molly Landis often wears her four-week old daughter in a baby carrier on her chest. As luck would have it, Landis’ daughter fell asleep in her swing the other night, which meant she was out of harm’s way when a kitchen explosion caused massive burns to Landis’ neck and face — the exact spot where her daughter’s head would have been had she been in her usual place in the baby carrier. Landis shared the story and a photo of her injuries on Facebook as a warning to other parents who, like her, use a baby carrier as a way to comfort their baby while they get things done in the kitchen.

In her post, Landis goes into detail about how she sustained her injuries. “On Tuesday I was involved in an accident where my stove burner exploded and sent a fire ball to my face, neck and chest. This caused open wounds and burns to my face and chest.” As painful as her burns are, she’s grateful that she wasn’t wearing her daughter in the baby carrier when the accident happened, and chalks it up to divine intervention. “On this particular night a guardian angel was watching over me and my baby because for the first time in her life she fell asleep in her swing and I wasn’t wearing her while I was in the kitchen. The worst of my burns is to my chest — exactly where her precious little head would have been laying if she were in her carrier.” Landis’ wounds look horribly painful, and she will undoubtedly have a long recovery ahead of her. But it’s even scary to imagine the outcome had her daughter been strapped to her chest when the accident happened.

When my own twins were infants I had a baby strapped to me in an Ergo from the moment I woke up until the moment we all passed out at night. I loved how the carrier would help them stay upright after a bottle to combat their reflux but still allowed me the freedom to use my hands. I could fold laundry, drink a glass of water,or even change the other baby while holding one baby close and comfy in the carrier.

In hindsight, Landis makes an excellent point, that babies in the kitchen probably aren’t the best idea. So many babies have that evening witching hour of screaming for no reason which conveniently times out perfectly with when it’s time to make dinner. It’s easy to see why parents would think nothing of comforting the baby by using a carrier to free up their hands. I did, and it’s scary to think about easily something could have happened.

“The point of my message is to pleaseeeee be cautious of the activities we do while wearing our babies! Since this happened I have had so many moms say, ‘OMG, I do that all the time.’ We never think it could happen to us and I never thought it would happen to me.”