Air fryers have blasted into popularity, and taken a place on nearly as many kitchen counters as the microwave and coffee maker. Now one toddler’s mother is warning of a hidden danger.
On the stovetop, we all know to turn the pot and pan handles away from the edges so that our kids don’t pull them down and someone walking by doesn’t accidentally catch a handle with a sleeve.
When we turn on the coffeepot, we make sure it’s not too close to the edge of the counter and that our toddler doesn’t have any convenient climbing paths (like a chair or the knobs of drawers) to access the hot water.
We think of the air fryer, though, as more similar to a microwave—it’s a box we put cold food in and take hot food out of.
Toddler Suffers Burns From Air Fryer
One mom is warning us to be as cautious with an air fryer as a coffee maker or pot of boiling water after her toddler managed to pull the device off a counter and end up with burns on his face.
Ryder Flanagan is one year old and clearly has the lightning speed and nose for the danger of every child that age. Now, he’s being treated at the Wellstar Cobb Burn Center in Georgia, where his mother says he’s been given stem cell therapy to promote healing.
The accident occurred a week ago, and Ryder’s parents, Abigail and Blake, are taking him back and forth for treatments since he was released from the hospital, They say that his siblings are also upset and disturbed by his appearance and bandages. They’re asking for prayers not only for Ryder but for the comfort of his siblings, and they’ve also shared a GoFundMe to help cover expenses while they focus on Ryder’s healing.
It Can Happen In An Instant
They’re also sharing the experience publicly, and with it comes an explicit warning. We, as parents and caregivers, need to start treating our air fryers with the same caution we use for hot pots and pans.
Ensure that cords aren’t dangling, that there are no stepstools, chairs, or other climbable objects in the immediate vicinity, and keep your smallest children away from the area or under close supervision. As Ryder demonstrated, it only takes a second.
Ryder isn’t the first person to be burned by one of the devices, either.
Numerous Product Safety Complaints Have Been Filed
Consumer Reports says that in 2023, at least 61 product safety complaints were filed with the federal government due to air fryer incidents, and at least 41 models have been recalled in the last three years.
The organization tested five air fryers to check for temperatures on external parts and found that in all five, there were hot spots, including the back of the machine and the exterior of the fryer basket, that could get hot enough to cause a burn or a fire hazard.
Tips To Use Air Fryers Safely
Their recommendation is to keep air fryers at least five inches from any wall or other object while in use, make sure that they are on a heat-safe surface, use oven mitts for handling while the fryer is in use and until it has time to cool down, and keep them out of the reach of children.
Some additional safety tips by CNET include cleaning the coils above the fryer basket about once a month to remove any greasy spatters and unplugging after use. It’s also recommended not to have other appliances plugged into the same outlet while in use and not to ‘crowd’ the fryer basket.
Also, always keep an eye out for recall notices, not only for your air fryer but for your other major appliances and products, such as cribs, carriers, and other devices used for babies and toddlers in particular. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is one good place to watch for recall notices. You can also check with manufacturers for specific device and product recalls.
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