To make a bit of a fuss at nursery?

[SillyBilly1993]

My child is 18 months and attends nursery, we’ve been happy with them so far.

Today we got a call that he’d had an accident in the garden at nursery as a swing had caught him on his forehead and left a small mark.

When I picked him up it was a big bright red mark on his forehead, with another bigger red mark down the side of his face. They said that he ‘accidentally walked behind a child using a swing’.

He’s only just started to walk, so would have walked over quite slowly. He was clingy, tearful and not himself at home this evening.

Part of me thinks these things happen at nursery, there are lots of children playing and running around. He loves going there and playing in the garden, some accidents are unavoidable.

But part of me thinks that this specific accident was avoidable. They seemed to act as if it was his fault for walking near the swing, but I don’t understand why they didn’t anticipate that small children will walk near swings and supervise more attentively. Or just not have swings! I’m also upset that they didn’t fully explain his injuries.

AIBU if I make a bit of fuss? I was thinking about asking if he could not play in the garden again until I’ve visited and seen the set up, and understood more what happened and what can be done to stop it happening again.

I feel like you have to pick your battles with nursery so don’t know if I am being a bit dramatic!

YABU to “make a fuss” (whatever that means) but I would ask to see their risk assessment and how they’ll avoid it happening again.

It could have been a much worse accident. Toddlers clearly shouldn’t be in an area with a swing.

Sure, ask to see the garden but you’re being a bit dramatic with the “if something even worse happens” stuff. How many times do you think he’s happily played in the garden before this, without incident.

In your shoes I would perhaps question them a bit about at it at next drop off. Say you’re concerned he was allowed to get so close so the swing, have a conversation. But in reality it’s an area full of small kids, not being monitored 1-1 and accidents are going to happen, much as they do at home.

I think the concern for me would be that they're suggesting he was somehow at fault. Of course an 18 month old has no awareness around a swing! I would definitely want to know what they are doing to prevent that happening again.

So you check the set up it doesn't not meet your approval so they change to your requirements then the next parent comes along do they change for them? Then the next?

You either trust them or not

@DarlingJo"accidents are going to happen, much as they do at home." I'm on the lax side of parenting but I wouldn't be letting my 18mo toddle around swings in the park without hawk like supervision! That area should be enclosed or have enough staff on it to monitor very closely. If they've recently installed these swings (who's good idea was that?) then it's possible they haven't figured out how to manage it properly yet. I would be worried about accidents. I have worked in nurseries (and still do) so I'm generally defensive about most nursery complaints on MN. However, this one seems quite an extreme accident, which should not have happened and seems like nursery are not acknowledging their responsibility, explaining how it happened and how it won't happen again.