Sunburned Baby Horror on Brighton Beach

According to the BBC News and numerous other sources around the world, a 29 year old mother from London took her baby son, aged 5 months, to the beach at Brighton on the South Coast of England, and did not use adequate protection against the suns rays.

The temperature in Brighton on Sunday reached 77F (25C) and this combined with a sea breeze is enough to make anybody burn if they don't use protection against the sun.

Small children and babies in particular should be well covered in sunscreen, have their legs and arms covered, wear a sun hat, and if possible also be kept in the shade, as their delicate skin is very prone to burning.

This is something that all parents ought to be aware of, but not this woman obviously.

It is fortunate that Community Police spotted the baby, who was already showing signs of severe sunburn, and rushed him to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Today the baby was discharged from hospital, but a burns specialist from The Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex - who was consulting with the Royal Sussex - said that the boy's injuries could have been potentially life-threatening.

The baby's skin was already blistering when he was seen by the specialist, and in a 5 month old baby this could result in dehydration as well as low blood pressure and kidney failure.

According to The Independent newspaper in England today, police and social services are investigating the matter, but no arrests have so far been made.

According to witnesses, other people on the beach near the baby were shouting at the mother after they saw the state of the baby. She eventually wrapped it in a blanket, but appeared to be intent on remaining on the beach, despite the baby's condition.

It was fortunate that the Community Police patrol came along when it did, otherwise the situation could have been much worse.

This is just another case where parents are irresponsible, and so many people these days are just not fit to have children and raise them. It always falls on social services and neighbours to try and help these children, and so often cases like this end in tragedy.

In my opinion, parents, especially mothers, ought to be required to pass some sort of competency test, if this was at all possible. Maybe also their parents are to blame, for not passing on the necessary skills to allow their grown up children to raise babies of their own.

Sources:

BBC News

The Independent