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Original poster

Child lying prone at bottom of your stairs, what do you do?

29 replies

clop · 12/04/2006 19:28

Part 1.

I knew the child had fallen down stairs, she's a rough & tumble 8yo so I knew she had to be hurt bad (ish?) to be screaming. She's lying with her face down and I can't see how she's hurt. How do I gently raise her up to assess the damage, when you aren't supposed to move a hurt person?

Part 2 later!

OP posts:

waterfalls · 12/04/2006 19:30

Is this a joke????

kid · 12/04/2006 19:31

it must be, and we have to guess the answer?

CHICagoMUM · 12/04/2006 19:31

What?????

Twiglett · 12/04/2006 19:34

well if she's screaming she's

conscious
breathing
and in pain

survey the area check there's nothing dangerous, ask her if she can get up, call for help

PutAPeachyInYourSimnelCake · 12/04/2006 19:35

She's screaming therefore breathing fine, there's a risk of spinal injury from fall.... wouldn't move them. Full stop, just call an ambulance.

Years since I taught first aid though and books get rewritten every few weeks IMO and my memory BAD.

How can this be a joke? I presumed a story about someone being yelled at for not moving a hurt child

joanna4 · 12/04/2006 19:37

No do not move her unless there is any immediate damage from the area around her.
Call ambulance even if no visible injutries her head is likely to have taken a knock on the way down for certain.

kid · 12/04/2006 19:38

the 'part 2 later!' makes it seem like a joke.

chocolateshoes · 12/04/2006 19:38

You have aroused my curiosity now! What happened?

Original poster

clop · 12/04/2006 19:39

Wow, didn't expect such a cynical response. This really happened to me yesterday. I keep reliving the experience, somehow it traumatised me.

I had to pull her up, at least a little, to figure out how bad it was. But I pulled her up gently from behind which caused her to stand up, I don't know that any kind of gentle lifting of her front would have caused her to do anything but stand up. But it scared me that she stood up, I wanted her to stay sitting and not move so much. She could have broken a limb, after all.

It turned out she had "only" broken a top front tooth and cut her chin. I put her broken tooth in milk (was that the right thing to do?, dentist glued it back on 45 minutes later). She said her jaw really hurt but it didn't seem swollen, I don't know how else I could have assessed whether she had broken it.

I got her to start breathing more slowly because she was almost hysterical. She was so shook up, though, I haven't had to deal with something like this before, I feel sure I should have handled it better, but I can't get a grip on what all happened.

Parents are not at all cross with me but I feel awful that it was a potentially a disfiguring injury, she'll have to be careful with that tooth for life.

OP posts:

chapsmum · 12/04/2006 19:39

If you have a child lying at the bottom of the stairs screaming, but not moving.
you should not move them.
If she is screaming she is maintining her own air way.
get down to her level and gently hold her head still. Ask her if she is in pain and if so where she is?
Shout for help.
If she cannot move dial 999 but do not move her unless she loses consciousness or deteriorates enough for you to have to give life saving care.
Pretty horrid thread to start with no explaination...

Piffle · 12/04/2006 19:40

An 8 yr old should be able to tell you where it hurts
Screaming ie generally better than silence
Then ring for help, after hours or ambulance depending on what the child told you.
Face down screaming, having fallen downs stairs
BTW When I did this at 11, I broke my collarbone and a 5th metatarsal.
My mother asked me if I could mnove and I said no, she called the ambulance
They told her she did the right thing.

Original poster

clop · 12/04/2006 19:41

So should I have asked her to move, instead of me trying to gently take a look at her face?

OP posts:

kid · 12/04/2006 19:44

that was a strange way to start the thread!

Its always easier to think what we should have done after the accident.

I agree that you should have spoken to her asking where it hurts. Phone for help and then stay with her to keep her calm until help arrives.

chapsmum · 12/04/2006 19:44

you should not have moved her, without knowing what had happened. you should get down to her level, gently hold her head still and try to calm her so you can figure out whats wrong.
maybe you could consider a childs/baby first aid course, then you would feel more comfortable with the care and decisions you would make?

CHICagoMUM · 12/04/2006 19:48

Apologies for being cynical but it was a rather strange way to post. Firstly you typed it in the present tense "She's lying" and "How do I gently raise her". Plus doing it as part 1 part 2 later. It was no wonder people weren't quite sure what was going on.

spidermama · 12/04/2006 19:49

Hmmm tricky. I know you're not supposed to move people who may have head injuries, but then again if the airways are obstructed you need to know. (Perhaps they weren't as she was screaming).

I didn't think it was a strange way to start a thread at all. Pretty straight forward.

PinkTulips · 12/04/2006 19:49

could you not have crouched down next to her to investigate, if she was screaming her face can't have been flat down onto the floor, must have been to one side or the other?

in first aid you're always taught to crouch down, touch them gently on the shoulder and speak calmly into their ear telling them your trained to help them(not applicable in your case but saying her name would suffice), asking them are they ok, and can they tell you where it hurts. this often calms the patient down just enough to talk to you and for them to tell you whats hurt so you can decide on future action. you definitely shouldn't move someone at all unless your reasonably sure they aren't critically injured

if you feel you didn't handle the situation well maybe taking a first aid course would help you deal better in future?

kid · 12/04/2006 20:09

Are you a childminder or were you looking after the child as a favour to the parents? Not that it makes any difference to what happened.

If you are going to be looking after ohters children, then you would benefit from first aid training.

HappyMumof2 · 12/04/2006 20:15

definately a joke

kid · 12/04/2006 20:16

hi hmo2

enjoying the holidays?

HappyMumof2 · 12/04/2006 20:18

Was away last week, had a really nice time

this week been ok so far, been working.

How about you?

kid · 12/04/2006 20:19

fine, been taking the kids lots of places to stop them from killing eachother in the house. Finally got round to going zoomaround, much better than kidsmania.
We are off to Harrods tomorrow, so the kids can play with the toys

HappyMumof2 · 12/04/2006 20:40

they will love that! Do they still have the pet shop there?

My dad took K to the London Dungeon. The waiting time was 3 hours so they left after 1 1/2 hrs and went to Hamley's instead

kid · 12/04/2006 20:49

emailed you

HappyMumof2 · 12/04/2006 20:53

not got it. Did you send to yahoo?

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