A mum is warning parents of the dangers of washing machines after her three-year-old daughter got locked inside her front loader.
Lindsey McIver, from Colorado in the US, said the newly purchased machine had begun filling with water by the time she and her husband realised their daughter, Kloe, was inside.
“We were woken up by our four-year-old son who was crying so hard he could barely talk,” Lindsey wrote in a post on Facebook.
“As I was trying to understand what he was saying, my husband flew out of bed and down the stairs.
“It was then that the realization hit. He had said: Kloe. Inside. Washer.”
Lindsey said the airtight machine was tumbling and filling with water.
“She was screaming but you couldn’t hear her,” she said.
I’ve been hesitant to write this post. First, because of the inevitable online mom-shaming that is bound to ensue; and…
Posted by Lindsey McIver on Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Source: Lindsey McIver / Facebook
Fortunately, they were able to quickly stop the machine, unlock the door and get Kloe out.
“Aside from a couple of small bumps on her head and wet clothes, she was fine,” Lindsey wrote.
Lindsey’s Facebook post, which recounted the terrifying incident, has been shared more than 90,000 times.
She was initially hesitant to write the post because of the “inevitable” online mum-shaming that was “bound to ensue” and because the incident was hard to relive.
But she decided to write it because she believed it was important for parents to be open and honest about their mistakes to keep kids safe.
Lindsey said she didn’t realise the dangers of the machine.
“I want to encourage anybody who has this type of front loading washing machine and small children, or even grandkids who visit, to lock the door with a child safety lock and always keep the child lock setting on!” she wrote.
Many mums have applauded Lindsey for sharing her story, saying they didn’t realise washing machines were so hazardous.
Kidsafe Australia recommends sinks and washing machines are emptied when not in use.
Lindsey’s daughter is the latest of a number of children around the globe to have a terrifying brush with a washing machine.
Earlier this year, firefighters in China rescued a four-year-old boy who had become stuck inside a washing machine.
And last year, a seven-year-old boy had to be rescued from a washing machine when a game of hide-and-seek went horribly wrong in the Ukraine.
Source: World News / You Tube
