Bruising on child legs with no explanation

[worriedMum1123]

I’m really worried about my daughters legs they have bruising on them. I am of course going to call my GP in the morning but right now I’m going crazy googling and finding all sorts of diseases it could be a sign of. Please tell me if you’ve experienced similar with your kids please. She has been with me all week so no chance of anyone doing this to her. She’s doesn’t remember how it happened and it doesn’t hurt when I touch it. What could be the cause?

i got myself incredibly worried when dd was 5,
20 years ago pre internet, about bruising on her legs.
i happened to see the school nurse about her school check up and she pointed out that her arms werent bruised, therefore nothing to worry about.
just normal rough and tumble of life

I bruise like a peach. Always have them with no pain or recollections 🤷🏻‍♀️

There is a 4 day junior doctor strike starting today and it's the first day after the long bank holiday.

Is today, or this week, the best time to try for an emergency appointment about what looks like entirely unremarkable bruising. Are there other reasons why you would be concerned as well as this?

My children's legs looked exactly like that for years. Just from the photos alone I would 'watch and wait'. If that's the only concern, see if they fade over the next week.

Those bruises are over a week old (brown) and happened at roughly the same time (similar colour). They are on the shin, which is a common injury site. They don't hurt because the injury has healed and now the blood will take time to disperse.

Kids bruise often without even noticing,unlikely to be something serious.

Goodness OP are you normally this anxious?

All bruises are bleeding under the skin. That's why they look as they do. Blunt trauma to the skin breaks capillaries which bleed a bit.

This is really nothing to worry about.

Is she hypermobile / very bendy? Stretchy skin?

I get similar bruises when I lean into the car to strap the kids in and things like that. It's more from pushing against something rather than bumping. Those bruises don't hurt at all if I press on them, they're often on my shins where I lean against the car door frame. Also a glass test won't make a bruise fade, that's for rashes only x

Those bruises look like knocks to me. Bruising from blood disorders does not usually look like that. I have a massive bruise on my thigh at the moment, no idea how I done it and I don’t bruise particularly easily.

you've just moved into a new house. Maybe she's been bumping into things that are in unfamiliar places. Or bashing herself against boxes while you were packing and unpacking.

Happened to me all the time as a kid. Mid shins especially.

I remember a friend's mum asking me in a very concerned way, it was obvious what she thought. Mine were due to my pedals on my bike kicking back straight onto my shins. When I got a new bike without dodgy pedals, it stopped.

I still bruise like an absolute peach. If you're worried though get her checked out.

I'm no expert but those look like old, fairly typical kiddo bruises to me! When I noticed a few bruises on my LO in the bath the other night I asked her how she got them. She pointed to each one like a little badge of honour, 'that's when I fell off my bike', 'that's when I walked into the bricks at playgroup'.

To me, all those minor bumps and bruises are part of a healthy childhood where kids explore and quickly learn their limits. Most little kids are high energy, forever racing about, blissfully unaware of what object is in their path, hence why you'll often hear 'slooooww down' or 'be careful!' shouted after them repeatedly in our house).

If you keep seeing more unexplained bruises and it's really causing you anxiety, then book yourselves in to see a GP.

Both my kids legs were black and blue at that age! They’re active and sporty and always wrestling etc

My understanding of bruising from things like leukaemia is that it would not limit itself to common bump sites like the shins, but crop up in places you would rarely see someone bruise as well.

As for red in bruises, it does happen sometimes as bruises are burst blood vessels. I grew up in a house with slippy wooden stairs, and I remember getting a massive black, red and purple one on the back of my hip from them!

I understand your worry. I absolutely over react at the slightest thing with my children especially my youngest (nearly lost her at birth). A couple of years ago my youngest daughter's nursery phoned me to make a doctor's appointment as they'd noticed she was limping but not in pain. I googled and convinced myself she had leukemia. She also had (still has) occasional nose bleeds. I got myself in a right state I hardly slept for a week. The only bruises she had were on her shins and deep down I knew it was because she's a child and they bump into things/fall over without even noticing but it still had me worrying. My oldest daughter would have been about 9 at the time and to reassure myself I would look at her legs too as she was also covered in bruises on her shins. Doctors told me they absolutely do not worry about bruises in that area. Anyway she was fine her limp went away after a week and 2 years later she still has bruises all over her shins. So does my older daughter. I sometimes notice bruises on my legs and can't think where they came from but I know I must have walked into something. I bruise really easily so I'm assuming my children do as well but from the biggest worrier in the world I honestly dont think shin bruises are anything to be worried about.

I still bruise Very easily as an adult. We have quite a small dog and even her jumping up at me causes bruising over my legs. As a kid I had constant bruising from the playground. Would rarely remember where I got them as the slightest unmemorable knock would cause them.

If she seems fine otherwise I’d have no concerns. Of course if the bruising were accompanied by other symptoms then more need to look into it further. But especially as they’re in the same spot on both legs it indicates more that she’s bumped something.

And yes bike pedals are a big culprit as well! I still remember learning to ride a bike as a child when I was staying at my dad's and my mum being shocked by the amount of bruises I went home with. I also remember trying to count them I was absolutely covered!

Has she been riding her bike? My son used to have them.there from the pedals. He was always covered at that age.

She has bruises on both legs at the same height, which suggests she walked into something. It’s not a random bruise appearing out of nowhere. Moving house and travelling are prime time for walking into things (boxes, suitcases etc) and you are so busy that it doesn’t even register in your mind. If she has unexplained bruises often then yes, get it checked out. It may not be anything sinister- I had this as a child and it turns out that I have slightly slow blood clotting so I bruise easily.

My children’s shins are often covered in bruises and they would not know where they come from. They’re normal, active children. Bruised shins in children show they have been moving around rather than that anything is wrong with them.

It is quite different to have unexplained bruises in other places on your body, but shins: normal kids.

If you lined up a load of 7 year olds most of their legs would look like this.

My kids always had terribly bruised shins when they were little. I bruise quite easily too. I often don't even realise I have a bruise. They are not always sore. I think it's quite a stretch to jump from one bruise to an autoimmune condition.

looks like totally normal children's legs
it's an area of the leg that's easily bumped.

tbh at that age I would be worried if a child didn't have bruised shins from ankle to shin.

If you will feel better about it then ring/online consult for advice and send a photo to the gp. But I very much doubt it's anything more than bruises from general bumping around and clumsiness.

Nobody will be thinking a few bruises on shins are a safeguarding concern. It is one place most kids are constantly bruising.

Safeguarding generally comes into action when bruising is in a place that a child wouldn't easily and accidentally bang/bump. Stomach, back, face.

Visit the GP try not to worry.

My 2 year old boys legs are full of bruises too, I really wouldn't worry