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Original poster

Bruises on dd

8 replies

Mondaybaby · 11/07/2011 13:11

My dd, 10 months old, goes to a nursery 4 days a week. It seems very good and the baby room staff seem really caring and my dd appears to be very settled there. But 2 weeks ago she had a bruise on her face at the end of the day which was not there when I dropped her off and was not something that happened at home. I didn't mention it or ask about it at the time.
Today dd has a bruise on her leg which is new (I am a nurse so I know what a new / old bruise looks like). I asked one of the baby room staff if they knew how she had done it and she replied that she had noticed it when changing nappy but had not been aware that my dd had had a fall or done anything to cause it at nursery. She said otherwise she would have done an accident form. My dd seemed a little quiet but was very playful and did not appear to have been crying but that is hard to tell. I am worried as this is the 2nd time there has been bruising with no attempt to offer an explaination and it has not happened at home. Bruising like that would definitely cause my dd to cry. I don't know what to do about this. Should I do anything about this? Do nurseries report every bump and bruise? Surely they should have noticed this happening and I expect that accidents will happen. It is the fact that they haven't mentioned them to me that is worrying me........

OP posts:
sparklyjewlz · 11/07/2011 16:54

I think this is worrying too.
I'm not sure what you should do so I am bumping this.

coolio2011 · 11/07/2011 19:01

While I know that it is very common for children to get bruises - paticularly babies when they are becoming more mobile, I also know that very rarely is a bruise caused without the child crying. Therefore, any one of the practitioners looking after your DD should have noticed this occuring.

Standard and expected practice in nurseries is as follows:

  • they witness the accident and/or injury
  • they MUST fill in an accident form stating WHERE the accident happened, WHAT caused it to happen, WHO was there and what action was taken.
  • if they notice the bruise/mark without having seen what caused it, they must still write an accident form.
  • photocopy the form and give you a copy for your reference
  • file their copy for when they get an inspection.

The staff will be aware of this procedure. It could be that they saw it happen, examined DD, didn't think it would bruise and so didn't bother writing a form. Completely negligent. This sometimes happens before an OFSTED inspection - it doesn't look good if they have an accident form brimming at the seams and so it's better for them to only document more serious cases.

In any case, they should've written a form when you brought up the issue stating that a bruise was discovered on x's head/leg at collection time and what was said between the two of you.

They MUST do it to cover their own backs more than anything - they'd be stuffed if you took it to OFSTED as they're hot on things like this - and rightly so. You should go to the manager, let her know that you're not being fussy but just a bit concerned that it's the second time that it's happened now and the second time that nobody has been able to offer an explanation. See what she says and just say that if there is a next time, you'd expect to be notified.

Hope this helps.

coolio2011 · 11/07/2011 19:06

If you're still not satisfied, send a letter/ e-mail to the company's HR department - you'll often get a better result as they'll come down on the manager like a ton of bricks and the manager doesn't want to be seen as failing such a basic task so should ensure better practice next time.

Original poster
Mondaybaby · 11/07/2011 20:58

Thanks sparklyjewlz for bumping and thanks coolio for such a detailed reply, very helpful indeed. I will mention my concern to the manager tomorrow. I don't want it to seem like I am accusing them of anything but nor can I just let it pass. I will post what happens tomorrow. Uuughhh - I hate situations like this.

OP posts:
sparklyjewlz · 12/07/2011 08:27

Good luck Smile

coolio2011 · 12/07/2011 11:28

Let us know how you get on - and remember, you're paying for a service and they're falling short of basic standards, you're not being unreasonable at all.

princesbold · 14/07/2011 16:55

An accident record should have been completed, even if the only treatment given was a cuddle. They should also have been questioning you about the bruises when you came to collect because it is their duty to protect the child's welfare even if the accident has not happened at the nursery. OFSTED actually love to see brimming accident books as accidents are what kids do best !

Original poster
Mondaybaby · 14/07/2011 21:13

I talked with the manager on Tuesday and she was very professional. They said that my dd had had a very good day on Monday with no sign of an accident or tears but possibly if she had crawled over a toy she may have sustained a bruise on her leg that way. I explained that I just had to mention it as I believed it hadn't happened at home but tried to keep the tone non confrontational. The manager said she would do an accident form but put that the cause was unknown which they did. And that was that. I didn't mention the bruise on her face as I felt at this stage, 2 weeks after it happened, it would have sounded accusatory. So hopefully this won't happen again - the not mentioning things rather than the bumps and bruises. I am sure they will be lots of those to come the way my dd is starting to explore her world!

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