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Boy suffers first degree burns after trying to drink oven cleaner

One-year-old Elijah Mole grabbed the bottle and pressed it to his mouth while Dad Jimmy was cleaning

One-year-old Elijah Mole

A baby boy needed emergency surgery after trying to drink oven cleaner at his home - burning his mouth, tongue and neck.

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One-year-old Elijah Mole grabbed the bottle and pressed it to his mouth while Dad Jimmy was cleaning on September 16.

He was rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery to open his airway, where he has been recovering ever since.

Now devastated parents Jimmy and Deanne, from Great Barr, have issued heartbreaking pictures of little Elijah after he had tried to drink the Oven Pride product, to highlight the dangers in the home.

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Dad-of-two Jimmy said: “I’d started cleaning the oven with Oven Pride and Elijah was crawling around the front room.

“I just put the oven cleaner down for a second, then turned my back and he just suddenly appeared and grabbed it.

“I turned round and he was choking, and I didn’t know what was going on until I saw the cleaner on the floor and realised.

“I dialled 999, and they were here within three or four minutes, and Elijah was crying and gagging and his face was all burnt.”

The infant was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery, before being placed into Intensive Care Unit.

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Fortunately he did not swallow the liquid, but the contact caused first degree burns to his face, lips and neck.

Elijah is still recovering in hospital, where he spent his first birthday with his parents by his bedside.

Medics have diagnosed acute kidney failure and may have to put Elijah on dialysis, although it is unclear whether this is connected to the cleaning product.

The couple married last month in San Francisco and have another three-year-old son called Jacob.

“I’ve nearly had a break down about this all to be honest,’’ said Jimmy, a mobile game developer.

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“There will always be a feeling of guilt. It was my fault.

“I want to say to parents to be extra careful, that you can lose your concentration when you’ve had a long day.

“It was just a silly accident and I just don’t want it to happen to anyone else.

“It’s really painful to see him like this, but we dread to think what could have happened.

"He could have died or been blinded. It could have been a real terrible tragedy.”

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Mum Deanne, 39, added that she also shared the burden of guilt after the horrible accident.

She said: “I feel really guilty. I worked over that day, otherwise I would have been home.”

Elijah is now slowly recovering and recently managed to drink 100ml of squash and will begin on solid foods again this week.

He said: “Elijah is lively and cheeky, loves his food. Now he is just tired all the time, which is really upsetting.

"It’s just a massive waiting game at the moment. We just want him to get better - that’s all that we want.”

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Source: Mirror.uk.co

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