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Original poster

is this injury acceptable at nursery?

70 replies

dadMaciek · 14/02/2023 21:16

Hello to all mums!!

I would like to get your advice and opinion please.
Today we collected our 2 years old daughter from nursery with large mark on her jaw. We have to other, older children and are experienced parents. Accidents happen and we get used to this, however here we do believe that this is too much. Especially when you pay huge fees for professional care without any support.
What would you do? What is your opinion please? We are concerned about our daughter safety.

Thank you soooo much in advance, warm hugs
Maciek and Leidy

OP posts:
WonderingWanda · 15/02/2023 08:08

My ds was always clumsy. He ran into a table at nursery and gave himself the biggest egg shaped bump. Another time he was running and fell in the playground and took all the skin off his forehead. At home he fell out of the front door down a step and again bumped his head. At primary school I was called to collect him because he split is head open by walking into an exterior wall corner that he hadn't seen. Those are just the ones I can remember. We've been to a&e several times to check for concussion and have wounds checked. Some children are clumsy.

Interestingly he was always a climber but never once fell from height, he was always careful when climbing. I don't think it's an unacceptable injury, kids get injured. I broke a leg once just from slipping over in my kitchen, it just takes one moment of miscalculation for an accident to happen.

TommytheSquirrell · 15/02/2023 08:09

I’m not sure there’s an unacceptable accident so long as it was not caused by negligence or a child is harmed by over handling. I mean children fall.

However if you’re not satisfied with what the nursery said, of course you’re entitled to look at the footage.

Lostinplaces · 15/02/2023 08:24

I hope she is allowed to climb, it’s an important part of her physical development to be able to do so as well as developing her confidence and assessment of risk. Unfortunately accidents happen, they help a child to build resilience and to learn to be careful. Let it go.

PanettoneMoly · 15/02/2023 08:30

Our nursery for DD 2.5 has climbing blocks & triangles in the garden and I can imagine if she slipped, she might cause herself a similar injury on the way down. However kids need to climb and jump, both for physical development but also to learn about risk-taking in a safe environment - in doing so there’s always the possibility of a tumble but I think that’s part of the important learning process.

Spottypaperdoll · 15/02/2023 08:33

I don’t think you are overreacting that’s a really substantial injury. Does it need to be seen by a doctor, hard to tell from the picture?
Your poor daughter, I bet she was quite upset when it happened

jumperoozles · 15/02/2023 08:36

Spottypaperdoll · 15/02/2023 08:33

I don’t think you are overreacting that’s a really substantial injury. Does it need to be seen by a doctor, hard to tell from the picture?
Your poor daughter, I bet she was quite upset when it happened

Gosh poor nurseries if they have to deal with hysterics like this. It’s a scrape…

MrsMitford3 · 15/02/2023 08:37

@dadMaciek you may want to get the posted deleted where you use your DD name...

Easy to overreact and be protective but I think fairly standard child injury-always looks worse when on the face

Hellocatshome · 15/02/2023 08:37

Spottypaperdoll · 15/02/2023 08:33

I don’t think you are overreacting that’s a really substantial injury. Does it need to be seen by a doctor, hard to tell from the picture?
Your poor daughter, I bet she was quite upset when it happened

That is not a substantial injury that is a standard small child falling over injury.

Sugargliderwombat · 15/02/2023 08:39

So quick to blame and call negligence on a specific person!

I know when I'm telling a parent face to face about an injury I try not to freak the child out. They probably would have been more straight talking over the phone if you had answered. It sounds a bit like you are deflecting your anger that you didnt know earlier and didn't notice how bad it was on collection.

TheFairyCaravan · 15/02/2023 08:41

I’m so glad I don’t work in childcare anymore.

The child has fallen over and scraped her chin. That’s all. It could have happened anywhere. It’s not a substantial or significant injury.

TetherEndOfMy · 15/02/2023 08:44

Spottypaperdoll · 15/02/2023 08:33

I don’t think you are overreacting that’s a really substantial injury. Does it need to be seen by a doctor, hard to tell from the picture?
Your poor daughter, I bet she was quite upset when it happened

Aaaand this is part of the reason I can't get a GP appointment. Of course she doesn't need to see a doctor. So precious.

Skinnermarink · 15/02/2023 08:48

Ok, I admit I’m sometimes quick to react with this like this because, at ten months old, someone trapped my baby’s finger under a door at nursery. Ripped all the skin off. That absolutely negligent and I went nuts and the staff member no longer works there, because it was pure carelessness on their part and am entirely preventable scenario.

However, after being satisfied that the nursery took it seriously and looked at policies around door safety etc, DS did remain there. He has had many bumps and knocks since because he is now a very lively toddler, but I know the difference between that and that first injury he got there.

RagingWoke · 15/02/2023 08:50

over dramatic, children trip and fall. It doesn't look that bad either.

Fine to ask what happened, but to be shouting about negligence without having a conversation first is OTT. The nursery tried to call you, you didn't answer and didn't bother to look at your daughter at pick up which suggests it's not a pattern.

Coffeefig · 15/02/2023 09:10

As most PP have said it depends how it happened - my DN fell while playing at his nursery and broke his arm. The nursery dealt with it really well and my sister understood it was an accident.

kirinm · 15/02/2023 09:37

dadMaciek · 15/02/2023 07:31

Thank you to you all!!
Nursery did call us to inform, however we were out of the network. During collection we did not expect this to be huge and while she was walking, and we looked from the height we could not spot it. The teacher said that she our daughter fell in the garden. We thought that is normal and we left. Only on the way out we did look better and have noted such large spot.
I wrote the email to nursery with request to examine camera. In my opinion it is normal that children trip, or lose balance. However this looks like to us as she fell from the height and can be teachers negligence by allowing co climb.

Well.. most important that Natasha is fine. I will update you what nursery response will be.
Many thank x

You don't want your child to climb? Are they allowed on slides? Or to use anything in a park? Climbing is a part of development. Kids hurt themselves all the time. Some kids more than others - mine is one of the ones who is super active and fearless so ends up hurting herself. It's not nice that she's hurt herself but to suggest some sort of negligence by the nursery is over the top given how minor the cut / injury is.

kirinm · 15/02/2023 09:38

Spottypaperdoll · 15/02/2023 08:33

I don’t think you are overreacting that’s a really substantial injury. Does it need to be seen by a doctor, hard to tell from the picture?
Your poor daughter, I bet she was quite upset when it happened

That is not a substantial injury.

JenniferBarkley · 15/02/2023 09:53

I think that all sounds fine - easy for them to fall and catch their chin on something. In our nursery garden there's raised beds, a sandpit, climbing frame, tyres and that's before they get all the toys out. Easiest thing in the world.

The most important thing is that it didn't go unnoticed which is what you left out in your initial post last night. It sounds like it was well dealt with, and the only possible issue is that neither of you were reachable (unavoidable at times though). I'd move on and think no more about it. No need to check cameras. Even on the occasion that one of ours did have an accident that meant the manager needed to review the cameras (her finger got caught under a door) we were happy with her review and didn't ask to see the recording ourselves - although we'd known them all a long time through our eldest at that stage, may have felt different if it was early days.

Accidents happen, and lots of them will happen, in your care and in theirs. Our current record is three accident forms for one child in one day. Hmm

RandomCatGenerator · 15/02/2023 12:50

It’s hard to tell how bad it is from a picture on the internet.

If it’s going to worry you, then it’s no bother really for them to show you the footage. And if it would put your mind at rest, then it’s worth it.

We do have a clumsy toddler - @JenniferBarkley my child is very much of the 3 forms in one day ilk! - but if he was cut like that, I would ask. Bruises, red marks, bites, grazes, that is all par for the course for a clumsy baby and he gets them at home as well as at nursery. But a cut like that I would be asking questions about. I don’t think that’s precious. He’s precious to me, I have a good relationship with the nursery staff, and I trust that they wouldn’t feel attacked by my asking.

Nodancingshoes · 15/02/2023 21:34

My youngest son did much worse than this at home...Accidents most certainly happen at home, out and about and at nursery. As long as it was properly reported to you then i wouldn't be worried.

Tumbleweed101 · 17/02/2023 19:56

We had a nasty head bump recently when two toddlers gave each other a hug and fell backwards, one landing on top of the other. It happened in seconds, a friendly hug that went wrong. Injuries happen without fault on the adults looking after them, that's why they are accidents. So long as you were properly informed of what happened what the injuries were there is unlikely to be any blame to be placed.

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