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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DS came home from nursery sunburnt to f**k. AIBU?

187 replies

MamaBear89 · 12/06/2015 00:01

Hi there. Long time lurker, first time poster.
Yesterday, my son went to nursery. I dropped him off around 8am and went to pick him up at 5:30 as usual.
When I went to pick him up I immediately noticed he was heavily sunburned.
I coat him in factor 50 when I dress him in the morning, and (as per the nursery's rules) I send my son in with a sun hat and a bottle of sun lotion.
The woman working at the time said "oh, I don't know how he got that burned as it's been really cloudy, and so we haven't bothered applying lotion".
Not only that, but for the final hour/90 minutes of the nursery day, during which my son was inside, the nursery worker admitted that they had "watched his burn get worse and worse". Obviously, as with any burn, sunburn will continue to burn and needs immediate cooling and treatment, but this was not given.
My son was so severely burned that he's had a raging fever for the last 24 hours, is in pain with his burns, and is suffering from sunstroke. He's miserable and cuddly and very grumpy, which is understandable.
I'm absolutely livid. My son loves nursery, though, and is due to stay there until he starts nursery at the local primary in September. It would break his heart if I just pulled him out until September, so I don't want to just pull him out and be done with them, but I'm absolutely livid at the sheer negligence they've shown.

My intention is to inform the nursery that I'll be making a complaint to the LEA and then following through with this.

AIBU by being so angry? Or would you agree it's justified?
And AIBU by taking the complaint to higher authorities, or should I just let the nursery deal with it?

Any input would be greatly appreciated

OP posts:
Whichseason · 12/06/2015 06:47

YANBU. Don't put and cream on a burn it makes it worse.

YY to speaking the manager ASAP and then if you are not apply talk to Ofsted. Don't go to the LEA if this is a priavate nursery, which your description sounds like, as they have no power or anything to do with private nurseries.

blueteapot · 12/06/2015 06:49

Hope he feels better soon. Those burns are horrendous, and your GP is right his risk of skin cancer is raised in future (they won't have told you that to scare you, just to make sure that even though this one wasn't your fault in future both you / him when he's older are extra careful with his skin). I'd complain to both the nursery directly and to ofsted. And I'd pull him out if possible as their standards sound poor.

LikeIcan · 12/06/2015 06:49

This is truly shocking - the nursery should be shutdown imo as they show absolutely no understanding of basic child safety. Op, I am fuming on your behalf.

Cassie258 · 12/06/2015 06:54

I recently did a first aid course and they said treat sunburn like any burn. You would go to the doctors/Ofsted if they burnt him this much using an oven, so do it for the sun burn!

Sorry to divert but don't put cream on sunburn??? What do you out on it then? There's not many people paler than me and DD and although I've never let her burn, I have burnt a lot in the past. I usually put Sudocrem on as that's what it says it's for on the pot?!

Kennington · 12/06/2015 06:56

Sorry to see this
Awful
Get some sun block ie anything with zinc oxide as it is a complete barrier and is more effective than the clear screens
It is white though
I would be speaking to the manager too

ChaiseLounger · 12/06/2015 06:59

Dear oh dear. This is very bad.

Stealthpolarbear · 12/06/2015 07:01

Op that's awful I hope he's feeling better today.
Just a point that if it's a private nursery I don't think the Lea would have any powers (they are likely to be inyerested). Could be wrong.
Also mistigri do you recommend any in particular? I have fair children and am looking for the ultimate, easy to rub in all day cream!

RattieofCatan · 12/06/2015 07:01

This is horrendous. I would definitely be contacting ofated about this tbh. Im a nanny but in the past I've worked in no suncream nurseries (as somebody said that they didn't believe they existed!) Though they had strict policies about when the chilldren could be outside. They fact that ops nursery says that they will apply suncream, then failed to do so because it was cloudly is awful. Nursery workers who are that fucking stupid give all nursery workers a bad name.

LooksLikeImStuckHere · 12/06/2015 07:11

Awful. I'm glad you've been to the GP.

DS's nursery has the same rule about sun cream. They expect you to apply it in the morning and they will re-apply during the day.

I don't understand how they managed to neglect your little one so badly. It shows an appalling lack of care that I don't think I could let slide.

They watched the burn getting worse and yet sought no shade, sun cream or hat.

Even if you hadn't provided sun cream or a hat (which I know you did), surely ther duty of care dictates they should have made sure that he was in the shade when they saw how burned he had got? They could have taken him inside with some others or just sat him under a tree or something. They could have called you asking if they could apply sun cream.

I would ask for a meeting asap with nursery manager to ask for details on how this happened. Then I would report to Ofsted regardless.

Mistakes happen. This isn't a mistake, they watched him burning and did nothing.

QueenOfThorns · 12/06/2015 07:11

Cassie, I remember being told that you shouldn't put cream, i.e. normal moisturiser, on sunburn when the skin is still hot, as it traps the the heat in and leads to further damage. I don't know whether this applies to sudocrem, especially if it says that's what it's for on the tub, but maybe it should only be used after the skin is cool? Or perhaps it just means it's for really bad sunburn that has blistered, as it's an antiseptic, isn't it?

I would use either aloe vera gel or something marketed specifically as an aftersun, personally.

dragonfly007 · 12/06/2015 07:19

I would put in a formal complaint to the lea and ofsted, furthermore I would look at alternative childcare providers as I would feel my child was unsafe in their care and safety is paramount!

Mopmay · 12/06/2015 07:22

I'd be onto lea and ofsted. It's negligent

ChasedByBees · 12/06/2015 07:28

This is terrible. OFSTED and put everything in writing.

DisappointedOne · 12/06/2015 07:33

I've used this on DD (only when I've had to) and it does seem to protect all day. It's very gentle.

www.marksandspencer.com/mt/www.marksandspencer.com/ultrasun-family-formula-spf-30-super-sensitive-100ml/p/p22249946?jsrl=stop&un_jtt_redirect

Hidsup · 12/06/2015 07:37

Regardless of whether sun cream was provided or not if it was a child in my care they wouldn't be out in the sun if there was a risk.
I agree totally with Ofsted and I know what chaos this will cause but I think he needs to be removed from nursery immediately.
Look for something else. Their mistake in the first place is terrible. Their reaction is really rather telling about future care

PicaK · 12/06/2015 07:39

You are not over reacting. They neglected your son - they harmed him. And they don't even realise that or care.
Report to LEA and Ofsted and get him out of there. If they're that stupid on this (and ignoring basic health and safety stuff) what else are they stupid about?
You should put your concerns on paper to the manager immediately

Altinkum · 12/06/2015 07:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Groovee · 12/06/2015 07:40

I kept sending children in to get their cardigans the other day as I could see some of them going red.

I'd be complaining as it shouldn't have happened!

DisappointedOne · 12/06/2015 07:41

I read an article the other day questioning the need for sunblock and the idea that sun causes skin cancer, although it was just one article, I cannot link to it and couldn't swear it was from a good source, though I think it was.

There's a school of thought (and I believe a body of evidence) that suggests that we tend to stay in the sun for too long when we put suncream on. We don't use enough and don't reapply frequently enough but believe the cream is protecting us. Hence causing more skin cancer than there might be if we didn't use it.

MrsKCastle · 12/06/2015 07:44

The 'worse and worse' comment was from when the OP's son was already inside- they didn't actually keep him outside after seeing the burn.

That said, they were definitely negligent and I would be livid. Definitely report to Ofsted. Speak to the nursery manager and ask to see their policies, and reassurance that staff will be 're-trained in sun protection. I'd also be asking questions about which members of staff are 1st aid trained and to what level.

If it were me, I would not send my child back to that nursery. Their neglect led directly to a child being injured, with potential long-term effects. If the neglect had taken any other form, you wouldn't hesitate to pursue it.

Notagainmun · 12/06/2015 07:46

I would be having stern words with the nursery and probably give a formal written complaint so that they review their policy and procedure regarding Sun cream.

I am a childminder and insist on having signed permission to apply Sun cream. I expect a child to have Sun cream and a hat in their bag but I always have spares of both just in case. Hate to think of a child in pain because of something I didn't do.

Hope your DS is feeling better this morning.

tobysmum77 · 12/06/2015 07:49

op yanbu

But I would chuck out the sun cream you used. Although yes Sun cream doesn't last all day it doesn't magically stop working after 2 hours either. For him to be that badly burned unless he has actually got wet in the mean time isn't right imo.

Heels99 · 12/06/2015 07:51

I would complain to ofsted. It is a safeguarding issue.

LemonYellowSun · 12/06/2015 07:51

I would certainly speak to the manager and consider a formal complaint.

Hissy · 12/06/2015 08:03

I agree Altinkum, severely burnt is a concept you don't gain the concept of until it really does happen. Sun burn is serious, but definitely not in the same realm.

One persons 'worst thing ever' is different to ours. I hope your son continues to make good progress. I often think of him, and though of him a lot and of you when my son had his accident last year.

OP, your nursery is appalling and you are damned right to be livid, they neglected him badly and don't seem to be taking it seriously. Not good enough. I think you should look for better care until September

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