Tea and toast banned from playgroup
Categories: Media
I thought the brouhaha about Mom's having a cocktail at playgroup was ridiculous, but the ban of tea and toast at a British playgroup is truly perplexing. Tea and toast, for the love of Pete! What could be less controversial than tea and toast?
A lot, according to a council who has banned Moms at the Pat-A-Cake Playgroup from having their snack at weekly play sessions, on grounds of safety. The group has been told it can have hot drinks in thermal cups, but can't boil the water in the room where they meet, presumably on the premise that it could potentially scald a child.
The town library, where the playgroup convenes for a minimal fee, says that the library cannot offer kitchen facilities and feels that hot drinks, babies, and young children in the same room do not mix.
I think this is a case of paranoia gone wild. There is prudence, and then there's absurdity.
A lot, according to a council who has banned Moms at the Pat-A-Cake Playgroup from having their snack at weekly play sessions, on grounds of safety. The group has been told it can have hot drinks in thermal cups, but can't boil the water in the room where they meet, presumably on the premise that it could potentially scald a child.
The town library, where the playgroup convenes for a minimal fee, says that the library cannot offer kitchen facilities and feels that hot drinks, babies, and young children in the same room do not mix.
I think this is a case of paranoia gone wild. There is prudence, and then there's absurdity.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mona 2-12-2007 @ 8:52AM
No tea? So I guess a hot toddy is out of the question.
I'm sure they wanted to put a stop to those wild and crazy toast and tea soirées.
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tulip 2-12-2007 @ 9:15AM
Maybe they were thinking of something like this story: http://tinyurl.com/39kdwr about a mom whose toddler pulled down a hot cup of tea and had to have skin grafts.
Sure made ME more careful where I put my cup these days.
Add in, of course, liability, danger of lawsuits etc... and wala! you've got yourself a ban on tea and toast!
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Chicka 2-12-2007 @ 10:05AM
It may sound absurd, but I wouldn't want my toddler running around a bunch of moms with hot liquids in their cups. I drink hot tea daily, and I've had my share of near accidents.
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Jamie 2-12-2007 @ 10:34AM
Water out of a coffee pot is not nearly as hot as water that is boiled. My neice received 3rd degree burns at around 1 and a half years and will need to have plastic surgery on her thigh to reduce the massive scar she received from an instant cup of coffee. I agree that you can never be too careful with boiled water around a curious toddler.
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hedgerow 2-12-2007 @ 11:52AM
I guess they wouldn't be too happy about my 3 year old daughter from China having hot tea every morning. She has wanted hot tea each day ever since we adopted her at 1 year old.
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Jennifer 2-12-2007 @ 2:32PM
You know, there are things in this world that aren't safe. No matter what we do, our children will find ways to hurt themselves, and I really think it is pointless to ban everything or wrap them in bubblewrap. Yes, terrible accidents can happen, and do happen, but there's a point where safety consciousness goes over the line into ridiculousness.
My husband and I drink hot tea every day, often around our two year old. The moment she was old enough to move around, we were careful to point out to her that Mummy and Daddy's tea is hot. Now, when she spots any mug, she will go up to it very carefully, touch the mug with one finger, and whisper reverently "tea. Hot tea."
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LS 2-12-2007 @ 1:22PM
They can't make 'luke-warm' tea??? or Iced Tea? (which, I know, is pretty much a blasphemy in England - my apologies to the English among us).
Why not just sit the kids in straight jackets on the floor? Tie their feet together, too, so they don't bruise each other with kicking. Ridiculous. There's cautious, and then there's obnoxious.
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Nicola 2-12-2007 @ 2:21PM
I have to agree on the tea issue (maybe not so much the toast). I hated attending baby groups and watching mothers drink hot tea while nursing their babies. One slip and you've got a horrible accident on your hands. Now imagine a room full of mothers with toddlers, very hot tea, and scattered tired brains. The British don't drink "lukewarm" tea, they drink boiling right from the kettle HOT tea. All it takes is setting that cup down within reach of little hands. You can't take something like that back, so why invite the problem in the first place?
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JM 2-12-2007 @ 5:58PM
Pretty standard around here actually. Just makes senses to me, I don't want some idiot (there's at least one everywhere it seems) with a hot drink spilling it on my child.
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april 2-12-2007 @ 8:19PM
Sorry, I think it is a good rule. I have seen enough careless people to not be that trusting of others with hot drinks around my baby. It just takes one mum to sit down her boiling cup somewhere stupid to chase her baby and another child could be scarred for life. We have a friend who's young daughter has terrible scarring all over one arm and one side of her body due to tea spillage. I have known more children burned by hot liquids here in the UK than I ever did in the US (In fact, I can't think of one child I knew this to happen to in the US, but I can think of three seriously scarred children under three off the top of my head that I know here, probably more if I sat and thought about it.)
Our playgroup did allow tea, but only at a table at the back of the hall away from where the kids were running around. The creche at our church does not allow any hot drinks, and rightfully so I feel.
As others have said the tea here is totally boiling - basically water straight from the kettle. It scalds your tongue if you drink it straight away. And in the chaos and confusion of a playgroup all it can take for disaster to happen is a split second.
It just makes sense to me. I am sure they will probably have cold drinks instead. This is not going to kill off people drinking tea I am sure.
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Yvonne 2-12-2007 @ 6:32PM
At first I thought it was a little ridiculous, but then I thought of it this way: I wouldn't want my $10,000 mink coat at the playdate because of spillages. Why would I not take the same precaution with my children? If I'm worried about a spill ruining the coat, should I not also be worried about a child suffering burns from a spill?
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catew 2-13-2007 @ 11:36PM
My now 12 year old son was badly burned by a pot of tea in our house when he was 18 months old. My husband got up with him to let me sleep, and made a pot of tea. My son had grown enough to reach the counter, and wanted to see the tea cozy. He reached up and pulled down the cozy, the pot, and the tea which had just been brewed. My husband honestly had no idea that he was able to do that.
My son got second degree burns over both legs, ankles and feet, and we are lucky that he didn't have significant scarring. As it was, it was a month of serious medical attention three times every day and lots of pain for our son, and lots of guilt for us parents.
With many kids, many parents...I would worry more. Martinis are safer than hot liquids.
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