Batteries in mouth!

[laketaupo]

AIBU to worry about turning up to pick up my 2 year old from nursery today and discovering that he had a battery from a torch in his mouth which he had been sucking and eating ?! Do I go to OFSTED on this one or deal directly with the nursery staff who did know he was doing it !

Yes thats fine. Plus ask the other mum to confirm your story. If they do lie its even more of a red flag! At the very least the toys need checking asap

I actually wouldn’t let my child be looked after by a place that thought it was ok to give Small children toys where they could get the batteries out. What else are they over looking?

The fact they may have had their staff to children ratios wrong is also serious and could explain these accidents but not excuse them.

They just said that with some toys it's really easy to get the back off them.

They don't even sound sorry or concerned.

YADNBU

They shouldn't have toys that toddlers can access the battery compartment. Their attititude that it's just one of those things is a huge red flag

They shouldn't have toys where the batteries can be removed that easily.

I'd inform the Manager, did you mean the staff knew or didn't know? If they knew and let him carry on then it needs taking further.

Honestly, Ofsted probably won't do much. At most it will be them going out to the setting, asking what went wrong and what the staff are doing to ensure it doesn't happen again.

I've never had experience of a parent reporting a setting to Ofsted for a battery being removed from a toy but I've experienced Ofsted being called for a child getting out of the premises and into the garden by himself and the above procedure was taken out by Ofsted.

I would be outraged (and I'm very mild mannered). Batteries are incredibly dangerous!

I'm a nursery manager and I say remove him
And write a letter of complaint to the nursery
They must show it to Ofsted if asked for it
So, if you don't get the required response then report to ofsted
They should have risk assessed the toys
They shouldn't be taking children if they haven't got the staff or the skills to supervise them properly

Personally I wouldn't be leaving my child with them again until the issue had been properly investigated and resolved. In fact I'm not sure I'd be leaving my child there after that! I can't believe their blaise attitude.

Your child is not safe there. They don't have the legal ratios, can't adequately supervise the children, have unsafe toys and don't adhere to accident reporting protocols.

Remove child and report to Ofsted.

Personally if they’re struggling with the amount of young children I would remove him asap. This should never have happened.

Ofsted will be interested, particularly with the over the ratio it's illegal

If there is any chance your son has swallowed a battery (as they are Usually in pairs) please take him to A and E tonight. Batteries kill if swallowed. I would not let my child return to this nursery

Did you check the other batteries were still there?

They shouldn't be opening if they aren't in ratio - we have had this problem when a member of staff called in sick and one was out at training and we asked parents to volunteer to take their children home as we simply would not and could not have opened without the correct ratios in place.

The battery is bad, but it's a symptom of the problem that they have with being short staffed, and that is something Ofsted would want to know about. They should be keeping all their registers and staff numbers so could easily be found out if they have been opening when they shouldn't.

That's a good point.

How can you or they be 100% sure he hasn't already swallowed something.

When I was a kid a friend burnt her mouth on acid from one of those batteries (she's put it in her mouth).

I'm not one for over reacting and think a bit of risk is ok, but the fact your son had that in his mouth, and the 1st person to notice was you, is beyond appalling. What would have happened if he'd swallowed it? Would anyone have noticed? Could he have told you (if it hadn't got lodged of course).

I've had 3 kids and despite my shit parenting none of them ever managed to get a battery in their mouth- none lying about, remotes out of reach and only toys with screw cover over batteries. The fact that this happened in a childcare establishment, where they are meant to be shit hot on that kind of thing, is outrageous.

I'd be worried about what else they are lax with (and writing complaint to manager, and removing child, and telling all other parents).

It doesn't sound good at all. I'd call Ofsted x

I wouldn’t be sending him back.

Someone took a photo but didn’t take it off of him?

Someone took a photo but didn’t take it off of him

And the fact that someone was able to take a photo is also worrying.

Are you in the U.K.?

I am surprised you didn't know it was an AA battery and had to post a stock picture of it to ask what type of battery it was....

If you are concerned please get the pic of your son holding the battery from the -random-- other mum and get him to A&E

There he is with it , I have no idea if he swallowed another one, didn't really process that it was a huge issue until later as had to get my mum back home. They haven't made their camera phone policy clear to everyone even though surely most people know it's very bad practice to have your phone out in any childcare setting. I don't have the battery on me as I handed it to the manager of the nursery.

Can't seem to be able to post the pics will try when I'm home.

She (other mum) did take it off him, and was waving it at me when I came in to get him! It was still wet with his slobber.

Whilst I do think the nursery's safeguarding here sounds concerning I dont think a small child could easily swallow an AA Battery and no-one notice. So by all means get him checked but dont worry about that at least. Button batteries are different: tiny and eminently ingestible.