First time dad - Scratch on face how is best to heal?

[TennisMad93]

Hi all - new to the forum so not sure how this fully works but when changing son I noticed a large red scratch under his eye.

Is this a normal thing to happen? It’s under his eye and didn’t know whether I should ring HV for advice how to treat it.

Not sure if it’s superficial and wondering if it will scar? Any advice for first time dad is gratefully appreciated as don’t know many others.

Do you know about Dadsnet OP? You'll get lots of advice there from other men. You might enjoy it better than Mumsnet.

Honestly I thought the same 😅

I also thought it sounds like the same very anxious poster

These responses are amazingly kind.. If this was a mum posting, comments would be patronising and telling her to seek help for her anxiety and the like. But because it's a dad posting, comments are kind and reassuring, even congratulating him on the baby. If only people (women) treated other women in the same way with the same respect the world would be a nicer place.

That might be because a lot of women understand that if a new mum is disproportionately anxious about a tiny scratch on a newborn, it can be a symptom of postnatal anxiety.

There’s no excuse for unkindness of course.

I also have concerns that it is a repeat poster who needs help for their anxiety.

For several months after birth a baby's cells are reproducing at a rapid rate, just like they did in the womb, so any minor scratch like this will heal just fine.

Confession - I once snipped the end off my tiny baby's fingertip when cutting her nails - it simply grew back --- phew!!

No need to put cream or anything else on it - it will mend on its own. Try little mitten, or the Babygros with hand flaps.

No, he has no scars from any of the scratches. I’m due another baby soon and will definitely be using mitts again. Do try not to worry, they’re tough little things.

This post definitely feels like deja vu! OP your little one will be just fine, honestly.

May I kindly suggest you go and have a little read of the PFB thread in classics.

Thanks all - ended up using the foldable mittens in the end over night

A scratch that shallow won’t scar, plus babies are amazing at healing! They grown new cells so quickly, well kids in general. Scars generally require many layers of the skin to be broken. That is a superficial thing. Very minor. Children hurt themselves a lot over the years and they don’t all end up with lots of scars. It’s quite common for them to also scratch their faces, they heal better than adults

If babies scarred themselves so easily with their own nails wouldn’t we all be going around absolutely covered in facial scars? It will fade very quickly, their skin is soft and their nails are sharp, it won’t scar.

I used mittens that were attached to the baby grow for my little girl, only at nap times and bedtime- when she used to rub her eyes/face the most, ive had 5 babies and they have all scratched their faces, a few times they have even bled a little, no scars, healed up nice n fast, didn’t bother putting cream etc on either xx

Thanks and that’s reassuring. We used mitts last night and worked okay but think it’ll take a few days or a week to heal fully as the mark is still there.

Is it worth me bathing it with water daily or just leaving it? Understand some comments set just to let it heal on its own etc

I know you’re a first time dad, and it isn’t nice when they scratch their faces but i think you may need to chill just a bit, it is a scratch- you have had scratches before yes? Did you bathe them daily?, my little girl fell through the trampoline net when she was 18 months and face planted the concrete path, she had a massive graze on her forehead and top lip for ages, she cried for about 5/10 minutes and then went back onto the trampoline like nothing happened, she has no scar, kids are going to hurt themselves alllllll the time trust me i have 5 lol thankfully only 2 hospital trips in the last 14 years for injuries (split head 12yo ds and buckle fracture 14yo dd) kids are much more versatile and hardy than we give them credit for, your little one will be just fine 👍🏻 xx

Buy some scratch mits.

Oh bless you both! I remember those anxious times well!

It's the scariest thing ever, but making sure their tiny nails are trimmed will be far more effective than mitts. And You're right there is an argument out there that suggests they are not great for babies either, that said there's a million parents out there that would disagree, so you do you. But making sure nails are trimmed will alleviate anxiety about them coming off.

Don't ever worry or apologise for any anxiety over anything now, or in the future when it comes to your child, and don't let anyone make you feel bad for it. ( Which says more about their parenting than yours )

Good luck! I bet its nearly gone already 😊

Thank you! Yeah that’s so true.

No is hasn’t nearly gone sadly, I’m going to say it’ll take a good week, at least, as you can easily see the scratch line

Yes, it's the same photo

@TennisMad93 please stop restarting the thread, you've had advice for this (non) issue from many posters ,plus more advice on your/your partner's the other threads.
It's a scratch.
You're either a troll or need help that Mumsnet can't give you, in which case please contact your HV or GP (and for you, not for the scratch)

OP I bet loads of baby grows/sleepsuits you own have fold-over ends - just mentioning it in case you haven’t noticed. You don’t need separate mitts, they’re a pain.

Your child is guaranteed to get a scar at some point. It will be totally fine.

My first child has a worse scratch than this at about a month old. It took about a month to fade completely. He has much worse cuts as he got older and none of them scarred either.

Ok, if you aren’t trolling then this is starting to go beyond the bounds of normal new parent anxiety. This is nothing. It’s a tiny scratch. It happens to all babies. You don’t need to do anything about the scratch. You do need to consider why you are starting multiple threads and still obsessing over something that you know, rationally, is nothing.

Being a parent is stressful enough without driving yourself mad over the tiny things, so if you get worked up over little scratches it’s making things so hard for yourself. Do you have someone you can speak to about how you are feeling? It might be worth speaking to your GP?