Bumps and bruises at DCP

[maighdhlin]

My DD is 9 mos and has started crawling and pulling up at DCP. A couple times in the last few weeks she's bumped her head on something when she lost her balance after trying to pull up on a couch or a bookcase, etc. And she ends up coming home with bumps and little lumps on her head.

I absolutely love the teachers at her DCP. The "incident" is always well documented and the teachers always seem to feel genuinely bad about it when it happens. Overall they are very nurturing and caring, but I'm starting to worry that they're not watching her close enough since this has happened several times lately. Is this a phase that will pass? My husband was a climber too when he was little and his mom just laughed when I told her about this and said, yep, he used to do the same thing - he always had a bump here and there no matter what I did.

Is my concern just normal "first child mania"? Am I too overprotective?

[Indigomama]

My ds ALWAYS had a bump /bruise on his head. I'd be right there watching him very intently, and my attention would lapse for a mere nano second... and bam....

I normally think vaseline is really gross, but it's awesome for stopping swelling and bruising ( I absolutely had to resort to it, as I couldn't stand seeing a lump on my beautiful ds all the time).... just a dab on the area ... the quicker, the less bruising... a real test to see how quick the dcp is watching.

[Quirky]

My ds is 10 months old, and a champion crawler. He's pulling up and standing, too. I'm a SAHM and I'm always in the same room as he is - and he has had several spills in the last week. One time he fell straight backward from a sitting position for no reason, even though he's been sitting well for months!

My point is, even if you yourself are right on top of them every second of every day, they're moving and learning so much that they are going to fall and bump their heads. There is really nothing you can do to prevent it!

It hurts to see your baby bumped and bruised, but unless you really think your dcp is being negligent (which it doesn't sound like), I don't think there's anything to worry about.

Oh, I've also heard great things about arnica gel for bumps and bruises.

[Marlena]

Yup. Bumps and bruises are just what happen at this age. Of course, if there's anything that looks _suspicious_, that's another matter. But it sounds, from your post, that this is likely just natural for this age, and would happen no matter where he was or whom was caring for him.