To not actually believe this story? Nursery incident

[West102]

My cousins 3 year old DD has suffered a broken leg a few days ago. Apparently this happened whilst at nursery. Nursery report that she ran really fast into a table. Aibu to not believe this at all? I can’t imagine running and banging her leg into a table would result in a fracture? They have chosen to the believe the nursery’s version of events but to me it doesn’t seem likely

Why don't you believe it?

A fracture is a "crack" or "bend" (green stick) in the bone for a very basic description.

Very likely to be caused by running into something.

A break (clear cut through a bone) happens more often from a fall or awkward twist and high impact contact (like being hit by a car)

Is there any reason that the child's parents and hospital being happy with the explanation you feel the nursery are lying?

What do you think happened OP? What other explanation is more plausible? That someone is physically abusing her and intentionally broke her leg? I would think running into a table is a lot more likely.

You need to work in early years. It seems their aim in life is to cause serious injury to themselves daily. They do everything at 100mph and cannot see what is right in front of their nose.

They are the same thing, "fracture" is just the fancy medical term for the plain english term "break". They are completely interchangeable. Lots of people are confused about this and have varying ideas about which one is more serious, or more thoroughly damaged, or displaced, or painful, or whatever, but it's really just like the difference between "tendonitis" and "inflammation of the tendon".

So you are imaging some kind of cover up are you? I forgot that children never have accidents nowadays. Its always somebodies fault.

If your DC had an injury, how would you feel about your cousin posting online for strangers to speculate on how it happened?

Accidents like this can happen. A child in my Nursery class broke his leg just falling while running on grass but fortunately (for me not for him) did it at home so my care wasn't brought into question. It was just an unfortunate accident.

My kid broke his leg kicking a football. Weird accidents do happen. I think if they were lying they'd have come up with something more plausible. Presumably parents and medical professionals are satisfied so I am not sure why you think you know more than they do.

Totally possible and quite common for fractures in kids that young to occur from something as simple as a bang or trip. Unless your cousin has other suspicions about nursery I wouldn’t be worrying her and start putting doubt in her head over something that sounds pretty straightforward. She’ll have enough on her plate with a toddler in a cast.

A fracture is a break. There are different types of fracture. Greenstick/ simple/ spiral/ compound, for example, but there is no difference between a fracture and a break.

Is it possible child might have weak bones possibly due to poor diet/celiac/not absorbing nutrients

DD broke her nose at nursery as a toddler by running into the gate. She was right next to a member of staff. Just one of those random toddler things.

I believe it's pretty common in toddlers to fracture more easily than adults would, and heal better as well luckily!

My cousin as a child about age 2 fell off a bed and broke her collarbone, my aunt thought she was being dramatic and took her on a horseriding holiday D: When they got back and she was still complaining of pain they took her to the doctor, x-ray showed the break and they felt terrible!

OP wanted a discussion on how this couldn't possibly have happened and it must have been some kind of mismanagement by the nursery staff.

My nephew aged around 3 at the time broke his leg at soft play, yes SOFT! 😂 He got his leg caught in something and twisted it. So freak accidents do happen.

Are you normally susceptible to conspiracy theories OP?

Both of my children have broken or suspected breaks from very innocuous events- a simple fall or trip can cause toddler fractures so it is possible.

You often assume injuries are caused by something dramatic but so many of my friends have kids who fell awkwardly alongside the ‘they fell off the monkey bars” type injuries.

My DD did this while running. Fractured it in 2 places and disclocated her elbow.

OP if it helps hitting something at speed causes damage think a car hitting a tree etc.

then take into account toddler bones, the likelihood it is a free stick fracture rather than shattering and the angle and yes it is entirely possible.

it is also likely it hit the right spot - ever try breaking a stick in two with one movement easy if you hit exactly the right place

IME the vast majority of childhood breaks and accidents in general seem to be from these type of random, non-dangerous situations, rather than the climbing the wall scenario etc. It's just the funny way the child falls or turns their leg etc. The two preschooler leg breaks I saw were harmless to the observer, just an unfortunate land of the leg.

Puggy

I stand corrected and you are right.

You learn something new everyday!

Here's a picture from google of types (which I knew) but they indeed are all called bone fractures.

Hopefully the picture helps someone else learn like I just did!

My DD fractured her elbow by bumping into the wall at school at playtime.
It was an avulsion fracture so not serious, it wasn't in a cast for long

I can’t imagine running and banging her leg into a table would result in a fracture?

She's run into a thin edge at speed. Of course it could result in a fracture.

Imagine the difference between smacking a baguette on a flat worktop and smacking it on the edge.

My niece ended up breaking her arm and requiring an operation the next day to put pins in it after rolling down the three foot high completely padded ramp at soft play.

Having spent my career in nurseries and schools, it’s pretty bloody amazing just how many ways kids to injure themselves despite the countless health and safety resources in place. Take the child in my care who tripped on his own feet and ended up having stitches in his forehead after bumping his head onto the edge of one of the units……which had padded rounded protectors on the corners of course, but not the edges….

Editied for my own stupid auto correct