Bite! Help!!

[mumofone]

A Child has been bitten in my garden I presume by an insect if some kind, they are itching and have red marks on them, what should I do???

[samb]

I'm sure you have successfully dealt with this now but... Cold pack on it to relieve and reduce any swelling. Keep an eye on it and how child is in case of reaction. Fill out accident form. Get parents to sign.

[FussyElmo]

I'm sure you have successfully dealt with this now but... Cold pack on it to relieve and reduce any swelling. Keep an eye on it and how child is in case of reaction. Fill out accident form. Get parents to sign.

Exactly this ^^^^^^

Hope it all went well

[mumofone]

Thanks both, I totally forgot about the accident report form - thank you, I'll do one x

[Maza]

It could be that this child is prone to insect bites. My DD is. Big groups of us can play outside together and she will be the only one that gets bitten. Every year. I keep some creams in my medicine cupboard to help with the itching, and also piriton, because sometimes she gets hives instead of spots. GP said I should maybe get an insect repellent for her to wear, but I haven't done it yet. If it happens again you might want to speak to mum about sending something in to keep at yours.

[FloraDora]

It could be that this child is prone to insect bites. My DD is. Big groups of us can play outside together and she will be the only one that gets bitten. Every year. I keep some creams in my medicine cupboard to help with the itching, and also piriton, because sometimes she gets hives instead of spots. GP said I should maybe get an insect repellent for her to wear, but I haven't done it yet. If it happens again you might want to speak to mum about sending something in to keep at yours.

I am also prone to insect bites. Family camping holidays - I was the only one ever to be bitten.
piriton has been my life saver ( well, not quite)- I visited a friend in New York State a couple of years ago, they have a wood at the bottom of their garden - I walked through it on the first night and my ankles were blown with bites by 7 o' clock the next day. Went to a pharmacy- piriton is not a known make in America - they gave me something else...and then something else....three weeks later my ankles are still swollen and red. Piriton popped on landing back in the UK, two days later....swelling down. What is in it that works??

When you play outdoors insect bites are inevitable...just Jen up on first aid and procedure ....and wait until you get a wasp bite!!

[mumofone]

Thanks guys, I totally panicked (in my head!) and had visions of hospitals, fraught parents etc!

[Maza]

Gosh Floradora, I wonder why they don't do piriton/equivalent over there. We must always travel with some!

[FussyElmo]

I'm prone to bites too.

6 ou us go for a walk only 1 comes back bitten. I wonder of we have the same blood group or something Add in hayfever the summer is not great however I still love the summer.

[windles]

Just had a call from one of my parents her son has been with me 3 weeks she has noticed a bite mark on his arm.
I am devastated he didnt say a word and neither me or my assistant saw it happen. It looks like one of the other children has
done it. I have apologized and will fill in an accident report im so embarrassed and feel like I haven't done my job properly.
All on a Friday night as well.

[FloraDora]

Just had a call from one of my parents her son has been with me 3 weeks she has noticed a bite mark on his arm.
I am devastated he didnt say a word and neither me or my assistant saw it happen. It looks like one of the other children has
done it. I have apologized and will fill in an accident report im so embarrassed and feel like I haven't done my job properly.
All on a Friday night as well.

Ok, proceed with caution....
If two adults who you know are vigilant didn't know it was there, the child didn't say/ cry out, another child didn't tell you, you reflect on the day and can't think of an occasion when it could have happened as one or other of you were visually there........
Then why should you accept it happened at your house??
I have been involved in too many safeguarding issues in my previous life to not immediately think ' there is no way it happened here- are they covering up something/ putting the blame on someone else?. Knowing how safe children are in your setting and how things cannot happen is all part of safeguarding. Do not immediately think because a parent says it happened in your setting that it did.

[moggy]

Ok, proceed with caution....
If two adults who you know are vigilant didn't know it was there, the child didn't say/ cry out, another child didn't tell you, you reflect on the day and can't think of an occasion when it could have happened as one or other of you were visually there........
Then why should you accept it happened at your house??
I have been involved in too many safeguarding issues in my previous life to not immediately think ' there is no way it happened here- are they covering up something/ putting the blame on someone else?. Knowing how safe children are in your setting and how things cannot happen is all part of safeguarding. Do not immediately think because a parent says it happened in your setting that it did.

Exactly. I would be filling in an 'existing injury' form with cause of injury = unknown.

[Maza]

Very good point, Floradora.

Although I have to admit it did happen at my house once and the child never 'said' anything. I know she didn't have the bite mark on her arm at the start of the day but then I noticed it when we arrived at playgroup after she had been with me for a couple of hours. The biter could only have been my own child - they were both 1 at the time. They were properly supervised at all times, but I am pretty sure it happened when they were in the double pushchair, side by side, because my daughter did it again a while later in the pushchair and left an identical mark. The other child winced but didn't cry out loud and so if I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have known how it had happened again.

How old is the child who was bitten?

[windles]

The child it happened too is three. Ive heard nothing more from mum until Monday evening at 11.45pm to say that the boy in question would not be with me because he was on medication
and still recovering from the bite mark she sent me a picture and it looks nothing like a bite mark more like ring worm to me.
Anyway the complication is that I also look after an 11 year old who is very nosey likes to eves drop on conversations and generally try and tell me what to do. His mum and the 3 year old mum work together I cant help thinking the 11 year old is being pumped for information and telling tales.
Mum has asked for a meeting on Tuesday before the little boy starts back on Wednesday. Not sure how to handle both of them my gut is telling me they are both trouble and I should get out not sure what to do.

Susie.

[Kaybeaa]

What exactly does she want a meeting about? The bite? I'd proceed with caution and try and have assistant available too, this parent, I think is overreacting somewhat. It might have happened at your setting, it may have not, but either way as much as we try to, we can't have eyes and ears everywhere, and sometimes things get overlooked or sometimes things get missed. It's not like YOU bit the child is it!! make sure all your forms are filled out and signed by you and your assistant and be vigilant that she doesn't try blaming you for other things. If she thinks you're going to accept and apologise for everything, she might see you as weak, and try blaming you for other things...

[Maza]

Surely a three year old would be able to tell them/you how it happenend and who bit him - has he said anything about it yet?

When I saw the bite mark on my mindees arm, my first thought was ringworm, and I showed it to the manager of the children's centre and she also thought it looked like ringworm. They can look similar. However, as I said, my DD bit her arm again later that day and left an identical mark (yes, I was mortified, I wasn't even aware that she was going through a biting stage). The toddler was going to the drs the next day, for something unrelated and he confirmed that it wasn't ringworm - he said it might have been an allergic reaction to something (the second bite mark faded, but for some reason the first one took longer to fade) but he didn't confirm whether or not it was a bite mark either. I had been totally honest with mum and thankfully she was chilled about it.

Why exactly would a GP put a child on medication and why would he still be recovering from a bite mark days later? I know it could become infected if the skin was broken - but I would want to see the medication so that you know what it is he is being treated for.

Good advice about having someone with you when you have the meeting. Write everything down. Did you have lots of other children there on the day it 'happened'? x

[windles]

She hasn't said what the meeting is about and my assiatant will be here. She has expressed that she wants a full time place for July.
When she comes on Tuesday I will get her to tell me what medication he was on so I can record it.