Baby burned trying to drink oven cleaner

One-year-old Elijah Mole grabbed the bottle of toxic chemicals when father Jimmy was cleaning their Great Barr home and immediately began to choke.

Paramedics immediately took the stricken tot to Birmingham Children's Hospital where doctors operated to reopen his airways and monitor Elijah after he suffered acute kidney failure.

Elijah was admitted to hospital on 16 September and has been there since.

Jimmy, 40, a mobile games developer, had only turned his back momentarily on his son to scrub the grill when Elijah's screams alerted him to the incident.

Jimmy said: "I saw Elijah's face was burnt and he was screaming and gagging before I realised that he had tried to drink the oven cleaner.

"But until I saw the cleaner had fallen on the floor it didn't click. When I saw the bottle that's when I knew I needed to call an ambulance.

"I had turned my back for a second and Elijah just grabbed for the bottle and squeezed it into his mouth.

"It was the worst day of my life to see my son in so much pain and I was powerless to do anything about it. I'm completely traumatised by it all, it's every parent's worst nightmare.

"We hadn't cleaned the house in a couple of weeks and because I had some spare time, I just thought I'd do a bit of the housework.

"I was looking after Elijah all the time but both my sons will grab anything within their reach, it's just such an awful accident.

"I felt so guilty and kept blaming myself for what's happened but it was that split second and people never realise just how dangerous ordinary household products can be. I was devastated."

Elijah, who has since turned one, has been in hospital since with Jimmy and mum Deanne, 39, as well as their older son Jacob, three.

Contact with the potent cleaning liquid meant that Elijah was initially taken to the hospital's intensive care unit when he suffered first degree burns to his face and second degree burns to his chest and back.

Jimmy said: "When I saw how Elijah was being burnt by the liquid I immediately ripped all of his clothes off him as I could see that it had soaked him and I just wanted it all to stop for him.

"My kids are everything to me and I'm distraught – I could never do that to my son.

"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."

Jimmy and Deanne, who got married in San Francisco last month, have now had to take time off work and Jimmy has even put his university plans on hold to care for his son.

Jimmy said: "I've been off work for a month now to make sure that Elijah pulls through and I've put plans to do a masters degree on hold because I can't focus on anything until he is a bouncing boy again.

"Elijah is lively and cheeky, he loves his food. But now he is just tired all the time, which is really upsetting.

"Raising boys, they are a handful but it is so hard when something as unforeseen as this happens."

Elijah's mother Deanne Mole, 39, an office administrator, said: "Jim and I have only just got married and this terrible accident has happened. It's really difficult being apart from my husband as we thought this would be time when we would be close together.

"It has been an absolute rollercoaster for us and I feel so guilty about the incident. If only I hadn't been at work and felt like I had to stay, it wouldn't have happened.

"It was a blow when Elijah's kidneys failed because before that he had been getting better.

"It was so overwhelming, our first time in hospital with our son. When a doctor tells you what is going on, it can be hard to take in. But fortunately the staff have been really patient with us."

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