Naked child found in bathroom: Ikea issues an apology to mother
An Iceland resident left her daughter in an Ikea playroom under the watch of an employee. Upon returning from her shopping trip, she discovered her child was missing and later located her naked and crying in the bathroom. A scandal quickly erupted.
8:02 AM EST, December 5, 2023
The concerned mother of the four-year-old girl relayed her traumatic ordeal on a Facebook group for mothers in Iceland. She recounted how she and her daughter had opted to go shopping at Ikea, leaving her child to spend an hour in the store's Småland playroom. This facility is designated for children aged between three and ten and is supervised by a caregiver. However, when she returned from her shopping, her daughter was not in the playroom.
The distressed girl was eventually found in the bathroom, stripped naked and crying. The mother was told by an Ikea employee that "she just took a bath." The child had an accident and had disrobed herself. The mother speculated that her daughter had been alone in the bathroom for an extensive period without any Ikea staff noticing her absence.
The incident has left the mother deeply appalled and critical of the supervision levels in the playroom. She recounted that there were sixteen children in the room, all being overseen by a single caregiver (an additional employee was manning the reception). She expressed her concerns regarding this matter and highlighted that if the number of caregivers does not increase, accidents could easily occur.
The incident and the mother's subsequent social media post triggered an intense response. Numerous other Iceland residents began sharing similar unpleasant experiences they had encountered concerning the playroom at Ikea. Major Reykjavik media outlets, including the public broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið, picked up the story.
Ikea's spokesperson in Iceland, Guðný Camilla Aradóttir, defended the company, stating it follows regulations that stipulate one employee can supervise up to eight children. However, she did concede that changes to these limits might be considered in the future. "We will do everything to prevent such incidents," she emphasized. The store management contacted the distressed mother and offered an apology.
