Winnipeg toddler suffers chemical burns at unlicensed daycare

When 13-month-old Chantal Phippard was dropped off at a daycare at the start of the month, the last thing her parents expected was to spend the next few weeks in the hospital.

Chantal sustained chemical burns on her hands while at the unlicensed home daycare in St. Vital.

"We don't have a clear answer of what exactly happened," said Chantal's father, Chris.

Chris said the daycare has been shut down and there is an ongoing police investigation.

Chris said the morning Chantal was dropped off was normal, but things changed when he received a call a few hours later.

"We hadn't understood fully what had happened and when we picked her up we realized that her hands had sustained damage, what looked like a burn. So we took her to the hospital," he said.

The skin on the young girl's hands was peeling away, falling off and blistering.

"[Doctors] checked her out and told us that it was pretty severe and that we'd have to stay in the hospital for quite a while," Chris said.

For two weeks, Chris, his wife, Julie and their two other young children spent hours at the Children's Hospital. Chantal had to have her bandages changed throughout the week, was on pain medication and lost her appetite.

• Winnipeg toddler suffers chemical burns at unlicensed daycare

"It's been pretty tough," Chris said.

The little girl has finally gone home to recover but Chris said she may still need finger therapy and possibly even skin grafts.

"She's home now and her attitude has improved so much more. She can run and play," he said.

Chris and Julie have had to take time off of work to care for Chantal and their other children. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.

"From the bottom of our heart we really appreciate all of the support that we have been getting," Chris said.

"It means a lot to us."