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Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Baby injured at childminders - advice needed please

212 replies

EmilyD2012 · 25/04/2013 14:03

My DS (10mo) returned from the childminders on Tuesday evening suffering from sunburn. Overnight his face swelled up badly, by Wednesday morning his face was horrific - bright red and he couldn't open his left eye because it was so swollen. We took him to A&E and were told he was most likely suffering an allergic reaction to something or severe sunburn.

After giving him antihistemines and pain relief we were discharged and his face slowly started to deflate. Yesterday afternoon his skin started to blister and, by the evening, was weeping constantly. I took him to the doctors who said that he was suffering from serious sunburn to the face. I asked the childminder how long he had been out in the sun for and she said it had been 30 minutes at most. The doctor disputed this and said that it was very unlikely to have such a dramatic reaction to just 30 minutes in the sun. It is only April, after all.

The childminder is a friend of mine and has always been brilliant with my DS (she has a baby the same age). No part of me thinks that she would have deliberately let him come to any harm. That said, the last 48 hours have been horrendous. Every time I look at my baby my heart breaks. His face is a mass of blisters and open wounds. His left eye looks like it could bruise. I've been given hydrocortisone cream to treat the skin but every time I touch him he screams in pain. Last night I put him to bed and wept.

Today, the childminder came round and saw for herself what a terrible state he is in. I didn't want to make her feel worse than she no doubt already is, but equally felt it was important for her to see that I wasn't exaggerating when I contacted her from the doctors yesterday.

I just don't know what to do. Some of my friends say that such a careless act is unforgivable and I should never leave my DS with her again. Others are more forgiving and say that, after seeing him, she has surely learnt her lesson.

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. What would you do?

Thank you x

OP posts:
Tanith · 25/04/2013 23:30

Emily, I got it from your OP, where you say that some of your friends think such a careless act is unforgivable and advise you to remove your child from the childminder's care.

fieldfare · 25/04/2013 23:32

So many people blaming the childminder without conclusive evidence that it was her fault. There are other reasons that this may have occurred - allergy to sunlight or an allergy to something used on his skin. I'm sorry to hear that this has happened to your poor ds OP, and I hope the appt helps him and sheds some light on what happened.

As a cm myself I apply sun cream (parents provide it) as and when necessary, just as I use nappy rash cream (parents provide it) as and when necessary. There really is no difference IMO. My daughter arrived home from school on Tuesday with sunburnt cheeks and nose - just from the 20 min walk home, it was a very easy day to be caught out on. I think that people shouldn't be so quick to judge the CM until the reason this has happened can be confirmed.

Exhaustipated · 25/04/2013 23:48

I am so sorry this happened OP :(
Just a thought- I have an 8 month old baby and due to this incredibly long grey winter she has hardly seen any sunshine.

I would guess your DS is similar? Born in the summer but kept out of the sun as a young baby, the rest of his life in the long winter... so perhaps if it is a sun allergy it isn't surprising it has only just become evident.

Whatever the cause, I very much hope he makes a quick recovery and that you both have some sleep tonight.

GColdtimer · 26/04/2013 00:29

But littlebit, sun cream needs to be reapplied. What happens then? I Agreeon the vit d point but there is a balance., And how on earth do you keep a toddler in only one part of a garden??

doughnut44 · 26/04/2013 07:17

There is a suncream from boots called once that only needs to be put on in thw mornings and will last approximately 6 hours.

I advise my parents to use this and I top up. I also request long sleeve thin tops and a wide brimmed hat. I top up cream when needed. There's more of a child protection issue if no cream is used. Sometimes you need to bend the rules and what you are told on courses isn't always right

KittieCat · 26/04/2013 07:52

I think the 'chemical' argument is flawed. The Telegraph article is from 2009 and refers to the EU funded 'NeuroNano' project. It was a three year collaborative project. There don't appear to be any project outputs but I assume it has finished.

Details here:
www.neuronano.eu/sections/AboutNeuroNano

OP really feel for you and your LO. My only advice is wait until you've got all the info before you decided ref CM. That said, it isn't a ringing endorsement...

KittieCat · 26/04/2013 07:53

Decide not decided. Sorry

Branleuse · 26/04/2013 07:58

that sounds really extreme. it sounds like an allergic reaction I had on my face once

CouthySaysEatChoccyEggs · 26/04/2013 07:59

At 4mo, in April 2011, my DS3 had a reaction like this. It was a reaction to a hypoallergenic sun cream. I have had to patch test every sun cream in the market.

Strangely the one DS3 reacted to is the only one DS2 doesn't react to - so I now have to buy separate sun creams for each of them!

littleducks · 26/04/2013 08:49

I think the chemical argument can be side stepped, I don't like the idea of using a chemical sunscreen and my kids do react (I have on surprise sunny occasions borrowed from a friend). So I use a barrier sunscreen instead. The only downside is that I haven't found one that lasts all day but tbf I don't think any would due to the getting dirty/washing and sweating Blush repeatedly throughout the day and perhaps it is better to not be complacent that it will last all day long and reapply, which means less likelihood of missed spots.

littlestressy · 26/04/2013 10:26

OP how is your son today? Did you get to see the burns specialists this morning?

TimothyClaypoleLover · 26/04/2013 12:16

Yes Emily, please let us know how you got on with the burns specialist today. Can't stop thinking about your little boy and hoping you have managed to get some answers.

Karoleann · 26/04/2013 12:24

I looked a friends 5 and 7 year olds on Tuesday both boys were out for 30 mins in the garden and burnt. I was really mortified, my boys were fine.

But, they were 5 and 7, so I wasn't watching them constantly - surely your 10 month old is constantly supervised at childminder and she should have seen that his skin was burning. It's not something that happens instantly. I wouldn't let my 1 year old in the garden without supervision never mind a 10 month old.

Original poster
EmilyD2012 · 26/04/2013 12:31

Back from the burns unit with relatively good news - the consultant is confident that there will be no long term scarring, although it may take up to a month for the marks to fade.

DS is doing ok, he was quite tearful after the fourth person had a poke around but is now sleeping it off. I feel a lot better to know that this episode, along with the scars, will not be with us forever.

The consultant was adamant that DS had been left in the sun for over half an hour. He said the blisters were consistent with him being left in direct sunlight for up to two hours. I asked whether it was possible that my son was hypersensitive to sunlight and he said that not only was it an extremely rare condition, but it would have likely manifested itself before now.

The awkward bit comes now. The paediatric consultant said that, given the extent of his injuries, it is standard practice for social services to get involved and that they will need to interview the CM. I am now trying to figure out how I can let her know without making sound accusatory.

Thank you again for the kind words of support; when I wrote my OP I had no idea that there were so many lovely mums out there willing to offer support.

x

Tanith I think either you've misread or I've not been clear. My friends said the CM was careless to let this happen, which she herself admits. My OP made no reference to her lying. Throughout this process it has been medical practitioners - not me - who have doubted her version of events.

OP posts:
PeterParkerSays · 26/04/2013 12:37

EmilyD2012, I'm not sure that you do need to let the childminder know in advance. If you say something, and she suddenyly puts procedures in place to ensure they all have sunhats etc, it won't be an accurate picture on what is happening at that childminders.

Waferthinmint · 26/04/2013 12:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thurlow · 26/04/2013 12:49

That's so good to hear that the burns will fade and won't leave any scarring. Two hours is far too long though Sad. Do you know if the hospital have called SS and they are automatically going around to your CM's?

I would call her and say that you've had to go to the burns unit and the doctor says the burns are consistent with being in direct sun for hours. Because of this, you don't feel that it was just an oversight or being caught unawares by the sun, and so you aren't happy are longer for your DS to be looked after by your CM (unless you are, if she agrees to new procedures etc). You don't have to tell her about SS. You can always say that you didn't know SS would be going around to visit.

Floralnomad · 26/04/2013 12:49

Just tell the CM what the consultant said , that because of the extent of the injuries SS may wih to speak to her . There is nothing accusatory about that , having said that I assume you will be leaving her so she can read what she likes into that . I'm glad you're baby is going to be ok ,but as I said last night I had similar sounding burns and no after effects .

TimothyClaypoleLover · 26/04/2013 12:58

Emily - so pleased that you have had relatively good news with regard to your son's injuries.

I know this is going to be hard for you, especially seeing as you are friends with your CM, BUT this does need to be dealt with by social services and any childminding officials.

To leave a baby in the sun, unprotected for up to 2 hours is completely unforgiveable. Your CM probably knows how serious this situation is and has possibly lied about the length of time in the sun. Whether or not she is lying though you do need to let the professionals deal with this.

Oh and I would definitely terminate the CM arrangement with immediate effect.

WouldBeHarrietVane · 26/04/2013 13:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ReetPetit · 26/04/2013 13:20

glad to hear things are bit better today op.

i think you are being far too nice - just let the hospital/ss do their job - don't worry about it, and personally i wouldn't give her a heads up either. If she has nothing to hide, then you/she have nothing to fear.

ReetPetit · 26/04/2013 13:21

if you really are as nice as you sound - you could just repeat what the consultant has said and mention that ss may contact her...

TimothyClaypoleLover · 26/04/2013 13:28

Oh and if this will be going down some sort of official route I would make sure photos are taken of your DS although obviously there will be hospital records as well.

Also, if you prewarn CM she may try and pressure you into not taking it further because you are her friend so might just be best to report it first before saying anything to CM. You could always imply that the hospital instigated it.

jamtoast12 · 26/04/2013 13:30

Would SS actually get involved though? When dd had an accident at 6 months and we went to a&e (burnt on cup of tea) we got a quick call from the health visitor to check all was well but not SS?

Whilst I am not condoning your cm, your DS reaction is probably more unusual and severe than most and your cm obviously feels bad. As a friend of yours too I would be forgiving and not sack her. She couldn't have predicted such a reaction and often sunburn isn't apparent for a few hours so she probably didnt notice initially. Given her children were not overly burnt suggests she didnt keep him out all day. Not sure where you live but it wasn't exactly August weather, there's no way I'd have even thought of putting cream on my kids in this weather. It was a bad mistake on her part but I think she probably knows that.

Personally I'd hope SS have more important things to deal with than this careless one off mistake by your friend.

TimothyClaypoleLover · 26/04/2013 13:38

jamtoast - did your DD have an accident whilst at CM or in your care? Also, yes the weather was a bit unexpected but I still thought to put suncream on my kids and think about the time of day I was out and about with them. It's common sense.

I think the issue with the CM here is whether or not she is lying to OP about the amount of time the baby was left in the sun. CM says half an hour maximum. Specialist says 2 hours. This in itself needs to be addressed as if CM is lying about this I would worry what else she would lie about regardless of whether she is my friend or not.

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