Injuries

[chill.winston]

I have a little boy in my care who is CONSTANTLY injuring himself! I swear I'm going to end up at the ER with this kid in the near future! Obviously, bumps and bruises are going to happen but he is just so clumsy it's exponentially worse for him than the others. Some days, I feel like I need to bubble wrap the house!
The parents don't seem too bothered by it because it happens a lot and it's their fifth child but I have insane Mommy guilt (or I guess dcp guilt) every time he hurts himself in my care.
I don't know where I'm going with this. I think I just needed to vent!

[Teagansmom]

Has he gotten his ears checked lately for an ear infection? A lot of times it can really effect children's balance.

[mickyc]

I had a little guy once who would even fall off his chair just out of the blue. His mom got him checked and sure enough he had to go for tubes in his ears. The left before he had his surgery but his mom did tell me afterwards his balance was way better after the tubes.

[Secondtimearound]

I am a freak when dck get hurt too !!! I think if dcm is laid back about it he obviously is the same at home . I think it's a very good idea to have ears checked but know from experience some kids are just accident prone !

[2cuteboys]

I had a late walker who was constantly tumbling (and hitting his face, natch) when he first started. Once he got a bit more stable on his feet it seriously decreased, though I'm still a bit paranoid. Aside from free play (which is usually downstairs in my injury resistant zone), I keep him in his chair unless I'm right there next to him - dressing to go outside, when I'm prepping snack or craft, etc.

If it makes you feel better, it's happened to me too! And I get the guilt, for sure. Just keep doing what you're doing (as I'm sure you're a great provider and have a safe environment), and try to not to dwell on it. Debrief and have some wine tonight!

[bright sparks]

I have had a couple of kids in my time really badly hurt themselves, no trips to the ER yet THANK GOODNESS but each time I freak out. Obviously not in front of them, and always after but it is a huge reminder of the liability that comes with this job. Especially with all the recent headlines about neglect I get very anxious about how easy it would be to have an accident blown out of proportion. After all we have no witnesses. I have a very extensive accident form and always inform parents as soon as it is safe to do so without taking my attention away from the child if they are still at risk. That's really all we can do. Kids will be kids.

I had a little boy years back whose elbow popped out of joint while we were playing row row row your boat. It popped back in within a minute or two but bloody hell we were playing gently to begin with. I have a real understanding of this now as I have since discovered that I have hyper mobility in my wrists and they dislocate on a regular basis even with a simple hand shake or quick jarring movement. Mum was fine about it, baby number three so not neurotic thank god and she said she was familiar with it too even though it had only happened once at home before.

2 weeks ago I had my 2.5 yr old dcb go potty and he sat funny and peed all over the ceramic tiles without me noticing as I was changing diapers and doing our nap time routine. When he stood up it was like a scene from the movies when somebody slips on a banana skin and their whole body goes shooting up in the air and slams on the ground. Well bloody hell the crack of his head on the tiles went right through me and the egg on his head was bloody enormous. He was needless to say up for a couple of hours, cold compress and lots of engagement to keep him alert. I called mum once he calmed down after about 15minutes and she just went through how I would handle the situation over the phone with me for reassurance but was okay about the whole thing. After all there is nothing I could have done to prevent it and it could have as easily happened at home. At pick up he was absolutely fine, bump had honestly completely gone...I iced it lots.

Once my husband came home and I told him he was freaking out more than me lol he hates the risks and liabilities involved in caring for other children without any colleagues. Needless to say When I move on to my new career field I wont miss this aspect at all.

If it seems a balance issue then I would insist on a hearing check for safety reasons not just health.

[daycaremom9]

I have a little guy who has had a "pulled elbow". Luckily this happened after the first time when it happened at home. Mom had taken him to the hospital and was told this is quite common and that it will probably happen again.. So when it happened here I called her up and she came here and "readjusted his arm". Mom brought me an article about this from today's parent.com/toddler

[5 Little Monkeys]

I understand your guilt! I also feel really badly when a child gets hurt at my home. Knock on wood...I really haven't had any injuries! However, it does happen and when it does I have an incident report ready for the parents to read and sign at pick up time. If it were to be a bad injury I would call the parents and let them decide if they want to take further action (ie.going to doctor)

I had a new child who broke his arm in the parents care about a week or two after starting here. I was so worried about it getting bumped here and than when the cast was off I was extra careful with him so he didn't rebreak...it was exhausting! LOL

I also have another child who is a daredevil...she has dislocated her shoulder and her elbow (both in parents care, phew!) and I am just waiting for the day something happens here. Her parents know how she is and are so laid back about her bumps and bruises haha.

[chill.winston]

OMG yes! He has pulled elbow too! His twin brother does it to him... Awful! It happened once here and once at home. He's the kind of child that would summersault down the stairs if you let him! No fear... Well from him at least! I swear that kiddo is going to age me ten years in the next three!

[gravy_train]

I feel the same way - I have a little one who is SO clumsy. He even falls just standing still. I hate it - my stomach flips and I feel kind of sick every time it happens (so, on a daily basis). I agree with mimi that I think part of our anxiety comes from how easily it would be for someone to blow the incident out of proportion.