[Closed] My kid came home from the child minder with severe facial sunburn - not happy

Not had this happen to one of my kids. I've done it to myself and I wouldn't wish it on a little 'un. Personally, I'd be ask to see the practice nurse at the GP just in case.

that's bad 🙁

depends where you want to take this but probably worth getting some pics now so you have them for the future if needed.

If it were me I'd keep the kid dosed up with calpol - it's going to be hurting.

were any other kids there - have they got burned too?

piemann - Member
Has this happened to anyone else's kids and did they recover from it without [b]too much trauma[/b]?

Seriously druidh??

Bite me!

Hope the little fella's ok mate. He is of Scottish origin though. And as such, should never ever be exposed to direct sunlight 😉

Big floppy sunhats are the way forward. Though its a nightmare trying to get them to keep the buggers on

Druidh even with the edit there is no need.

Yeah - seriously. I've had sunburn that bad and it was forgotten about with a few days.

Pack them a hat next time works better than sun cream.

Thanks for your contribution Druid. Invaluable 🙄

[i]it was forgotten about with a few days[/i]

by you, maybe, but as a parent pieman has put his trust in the childminder and feels that his trust has been abused.

to trivialise it as 'just one of those things' seems to ignore the impact it'll have on people other than the kid who'll now need to be found other child care etc.

and without wishing to be alarmist - any case of bad sunburn is not good in the long term.

Get over yourself. It's sunburn, not sexual/physical abuse.

Technically, it's neglect. Intentionally or otherwise. Although in druidh's defence, children are both fairly resilient and able to bounce back from such injuries.

I'm sure that's what he meant, but happy to be corrected 😉

Next time it could be - er, hang on... 😳

He is only 14 months old and does have fair skin, so I am taking a bit more seriously than if it had happened to myself.

The blistering has gotten worse over the last 3 hours.

wwaswas - that's exactly it. We feel that we have been badly let down here.

Thank you bullheart for putting everything into perspective. I do wonder what sort of cotton wool-wrapped world some of the STW contributors live in.

[img] [/img]

I would probably pop to the quacks though, quick smart. Poor little mite 😕

If its that bad you should be reporting the child minders to some authority. If you give a monkeys about other people's kids.

Druid's harsh but fair. Using the word traumatised completely overstated the possible effect to the child. Especially in the context of what many children to suffer regularly.

Suncream is limited in it's protection. You can't sit directly in the sun, top up and expect to be fine. Shade is needed to give the skin a break.

The toughy is whether the childminder is just incompetent (likely) and doesn't know how to look after a baby in the sun, or they are trying to deceive because they didn't do their job knowingly.

Being wrapped in cotton wool or otherwise, I'd be ****ing livid if my 15 month old daughter came back from a child minder with sun burn so bad it blistered, so I can appreciate the OPs angst and I would make sure the minder was reported to the necessary authorities.

Poor kid - if it is blistering that is 3rd degree burns btw. Happened to me a lot as a child (in NZ) and who really knows what damage was done ?

Can you still get calomine lotion ? Something to stop infection too, treat it as you would a burn or scald.

Sunburn can be extremely harmful just look at the melanoma rates in the Antipodes.

Hat and Sunblock all the way...

I'd be mightily pissed off if any of my kids came back from childcare sun burnt and would let them know about it. But Druidh is correct, sunburn is hardly a trauma in the grand scheme of things. It's the resultant skin cnacer a few years down the line that will provide that trauma

I'm not a medical expert but I would take him to your GP, you may be able to get some appropriate cream otherwise unavailable over the counter.

I got similar blistering on my shoulder 2 years ago and it's never been the right colour since, especially if it gets in the sun.

Sounds nasty; if F-50 cream has been applied regularly and properly there's no way a child should have blistered, even in strong sunlight and with the additional reflection factor off water and sand. I wouldn't be worried about traumas to a 2 year old, they're far more likely to become 'traumatised' if you make a big deal of it than based on the immediate harm / pain caused by sunburn. But even a few over exposures creates a significant risk in later life to skin cancers, etc., so don't underestimate the impact it might be having (I'm not saying to panic here, I'm saying that while a dose of sunburn isn't likely to make him a recluse, you can't be blase about it)

That said I don't send my kids off to school in summer without a good dousing in a decent (name brand) sunscreen. That way at least I know they have some protection, rather than leave it in anyone else's hands. And also remember - the sun is as direct / intense in April as it is in August - the air temp might be lower but the sunburn risk is the same, so start early! (I ignore this advise myself and regularly broil myself lobster pink on April rides!!)

Agree, minder clearly did a poor job - whether you report her depends on what you think you need to achieve: Is she generally conscientious and caring and just had a bad day, for which she's obviously sorry and going to learn from ?

Did you put any cream on before the child went out the house ?

gwj72

Wifey is planning to make a formal complaint about it.

I'll put my hand up and say that "trauma" may have been a bit overly dramatic, (dictionary definition "any bodily injury or wound") but it's hard to keep perspective when it's your child.

That said I don't send my kids off to school in summer without a good dousing in a decent (name brand) sunscreen.

Of course you then risk that they'll become Vitamin D deficient and at risk of muscle weakness, defective bone mineralization, rickets, hypertension, cancer, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and obesity.

Just a thought 🙂

Yeah, its only sunburn, get over it.
And its just a little bruise, get over it.
What...nah its just a sprained wrist, get over it.
Oh thats just a broken arm, get over it.

Judging this is a fine balance, but...

How did She explain it to you ? Was she apologetic ? Beside herself with worry ? She may well be beside herself for having allowed this to happen, & will learn a valuable lesson. On the other hand she might not give a hoot, in which case you need to judge it.

What else is she neglecting if she cant be arsed to put suncream on. Whcih she plainly hasnt if this poor little one is as badly burned as you say. She's got a duty of care for christs sake.

It is sunburn isnt it ? Slapped cheek syndrome ? Allergic reaction ? I remember ours getting slapped cheek & it looked like bad sunburn.

I've very fair skin (pale blue I recall Billy Conolly describing it once), & my face burnt badly on Saturday, (overcast & windy, 17c on the beach at Weston).

I do wonder what sort of cotton wool-wrapped world some of the STW contributors live in.

One in which they expect a relevant duty of care from those entrusted with the care of their children? Perhaps the OP hasn't had your life experiences and isn't so tough and might be a wee bit protective of their child. I quite like that in a parent.

While one might indeed end up with their child accidentally singed by the sun despite all intent (stuff rubbed off/washed off in sea etc and time mis-managed), that kind of burn takes time and effort to achieve and a care worker like a child minder should not leave someone in that position.

That said, can't imagine having a nanny take kids to the beach instead of me so I find that odd too.

It's probably best that those without children avoid contributing to this thread (from here on...)

Hope the wee fella gets better soon.

I would take it very seriously.

In Queensland which has one of the highest % cases of skin cancer, we are told it is the sunburns that you get as a child that greatly increases your risk of skin cancer.

Whether this is actually the case I don't know, but I have known enough people who have died from skin cancer to treat the sun with great respect.

As far as the childminder is concerned, it may have been neglect, or simply a failure to understand that a child with very fair skin can get badly burnt in a very short time compared to other children.

the clue is in the job title.. child minder. report em even if they can show they did nowt wrong it will still be a wake up call.

It's probably best that those without children avoid contributing to this thread (from here on...)

Why?

You can get stuff like reiman P20 that you apply in the morning and get 24hr protection.
That's what I'd do.

You can get stuff like reiman P20 that you apply in the morning and get 24hr protection.
That's what I'd do.

According to my missus the Reiman P20 stuff doesn't work that way any more. New formula which needs regular reapplication I think, or maybe it's just after you have been in the water? Not sure but she had us hunting around for the old formula stuff a few years back and still has some stashed away.

I wouldnt say Trauma was the wrong word. By the sounds if it, if its blistering its pretty bad damage to the chap. I got burnt at the National Champs at the weekend and it wasnt that bad and it bloody hurt, but I am an adult.

I would look at another childminder tbh, maybe take pics for "evidence". Sounds like the minder wasnt doing their job. If they were applying 50 and still saw burning a hat or putting the child in shade would have been more appropriate.

Druid man, you need to be a little more considerate to others dude.

My GOD.

IT HAS HAPPENED.

THIS TIME IT REALLY WAS A CHILD'S FACE!

❗

Wifey just sent me a piccy.

[img] [/img]

Ouch!

Ouch! Poor scrap that looks proper sore 🙁

She made a mistake. Talk to her openly about it, you may find she accepts the mistake and is then determined to never make it again. Rather there be a minder who is properly aware of the impact of not using sunscreen than another job hunting statistic and bureaucratic complaint trail. Your child may well be ok in a few days, she might suddenly have no income and no job prospects. And (being a little controversial here) you abdicated care of your child to another, regardless of their qualifications, job, whatever..you took a slight risk. It's gone wrong for both of you try and right it not seek retribution.

As the day has progressed, I have been swaying between incandescent rage and thoughts of it being an honest mistake and that much worse things happen at sea etc, etc.

We will be considering our next move very carefully. Our kid is really happy with the minder most of the time, and I certainly don't want to ruin a livelihood for the sake of one incident.

Aaaaarrrggghhh. Why did no one tell me that having children would be like this????? (or why didn't I listen properly to all those who did tell me???)

Thanks for all the advice and comments. I've calmed down a lot with the help of the STW massive.

I would be cross but I had this happen with my two when I had them atthe beach.
Factor 50 for both of them repeated and always at the same time. One was absolutely fine - not even tanned and the other was sunburnt. Not to the extent of blisters but red and then peeled on his face and arms but not his legs.
Do you trust her?
i find it hard to believe a child minder would be this daft /negligent tbh as it is just a stupid thing to do.
i would speak to her and report if you feel this will help

A fine attitude piemann. Enjoy the next ten years and let me warn you about the teenage ones…actually I won't. You've enough on your plate as it is.

It's probably best that those without children avoid contributing to this thread (from here on...)

Quite literally, the stupidest post I've read in a long time. Pray tell, why?

It's probably best that those without children avoid contributing to this thread (from here on...)

Quite literally, the stupidest post I've read in a long time. Pray tell, why?

Sorry to hear about that, poor little sod.....I've been burnt badly enough for it to blister across the shoulders, when it starts to dry out and scab and pull the sking tight,it hurts like a bastard, so slap plenty (really, loads)of moisturiser or vaseline on it at short regular intervals (like hourly) to keep the blister soft and supple till it falls off, it hurts less but just itches like hell then.

Best of luck with it.

Well done piemann.

To be fair the wee fella looks proper fair skinned. The child minder possibly thought she was okay because she regularly applied the factor 50 but beaches are pretty exposed and with skin that fair it probably needed some shade and/or a wide brimmed hat too.

I'm not sure how I'd react in your situation but if you are generally happy with the child minder (the next one might do the same) then it would be worth taking her some pictures and talking it through to see her reaction before you make a final decision.

It wouldn't hurt to let her know how unhappy you are about it but try to keep the conversation firm but civil. I think my decision about whether to change child minders would be guided by her reaction to the pictures and discussion.

Having seen that photo, I completely understand how you feel piemann.

We will be considering our next move very carefully. Our kid is really happy with the minder most of the time, and I certainly don't want to ruin a livelihood for the sake of one incident.

She made a very serious error of judgement it can't go unpunished, if she loses her job well that's hard luck, she has bought harm to a baby to which she has a duty of care for.

EDIT: On reflection, if it was me I'd make sure she lost her job.

wow kingtut you seem like a nice compassionate kinda guy eh?

got a few daily mails over here for you if you want em.

Aaaaarrrggghhh. Why did no one tell me that having children would be like this?????

Have you learnt nothing watching my deteriorating hairline, and stratospheric stress levels over the years. I've often suspected that me waffling on, moaning, to you bloody whipper-snappers sounds to you lot like the teacher sounds on Charlie Brown 😉

wow kingtut you seem like a nice compassionate kinda guy eh?

got a few daily mails over here for you if you want em.

Thanks but no.
**** compassion If someone caused harm to my child through negligence, I'd make sure they were punished to the full extent possible.

ah well, you shall have to keep up the witch hunt without backup literature then eh?

sounds like a mistake to me.

worth getting a decent child minder sacked over?

no.

When I was about 5 a resort child minder left me out in the sun all afternoon in spain in the middle of summer. I ended up in hospital with serious burns to my back, shoulders, arms etc. They had to drain the blisters and wrap me up like a mummy. Now I am in serious risk of cancer with a lot of high risk freckle/mole thingies on my shoulders.

Make sure he gets proper medical attention and do think seriously about the child minder. She needs to learn and never, ever do this again. If you think she will learn then use your discretion - if not then you need to act.

As for will he recover...trauma etc - obviously mentally yes. But physically who knows - there could be a slight scar as kids heal very quickly and there could be an increased risk of cancer etc but, maybe cheeks are better than other parts of the skin at coping with sun through evolution or maybe it is a resistance that builds up with exposure? I guess from now on you (and she) will remember this and take no chances in future and really slap on the good stuff.

ah well, you shall have to keep up the witch hunt without backup literature then eh?

I's not a witch hunt, it's my opinion based on the information given, though I can't see how there can be any mitigating circumstances in this situation.

sounds like a mistake to me.

worth getting a decent child minder sacked over?

no.

That's your opinion I have mine, such is life.

surely for hte super fair skinned you need a total sun block?

do you provide the sun cream? we have to.

she should notice the little buggers going bright red in the sun though.

Is she ofsted registered? this should be in her accident book at the very least.

100% report her.

Its totally unacceptable to allow a child in your care to be burnt that badly.

1. Up to the doctors to get a proper look - they like to keep a record of over-exposure in case of future problems.

2. Is the childminder ofsted registered? They need to be if looking after for more than 2 hours a week etc. How many other kids were there? How long were they at the beach? what time of day?

All those saying BTFU are talking through their ringpieces

WOW! Toughie.

We always pack a bottle of sun cream in our boys bag when he goes to the child minder, and if she had sworn that she'd put it on we'd trust her that she had, but then she's not your child minder - only you can make that call.

I think we'd take our boy to the GP's just as a check - if when questioned how it happened we'd be forced to reveal the situation, and I think that's where the proper authorities/procedures would kick into action if required/deemed necessary.

Neglect is tricky - if she's stated that she did put it on, how can you prove otherwise? One could argue that reddening cheeks on a child that age could be seen as symptoms of teething, or heat, wind (blowy stuff not bottom burps) - and reddening doesn't always show up straight away.

Just playing Devil's advocate here.

You sound like a sensible chap, I'm sure you'll do what's right by your boy.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Neglect is tricky - if she's stated that she did put it on, how can you prove otherwise?

The child's face.

bullheart - Member
Neglect is tricky - if she's stated that she did put it on, how can you prove otherwise?
The child's face.

Brilliant.

Ok it is neglect as mentioned even if unintentional, sun screen provides some protection but it does not mean they can sit out for hours in sun. It's not hard to prove, the child went to child minder without a burnt face and returned with one.

It needs reported.

Sunburn is a burn so in small kids it is serious especially if causes enough to blister, visit the GP or Minor Injuries Unit. If he's really very lethargic in a lot of discomfort, vomiting and/or general weak then A+E.

A GP or Nurse will advise on how to report and the reasons why.

It could be an oversight and do hope it is but whatever it is the child minder failed to look after you child safely.

Everyone makes mistakes that's why pencils have rubbers.

I am dark skinned and two hours in the sun without block left my shoulders pretty burned a few weeks back.

Obviously she didn't put enough on your kid and of course she made a bad mistake but if shes been good up till now and is someone you trust just make sure she loads him up in the future.

Why bay for what is probably a very decent persons blood like this, I'm getting pissed off with this blame culture.

Why does it need reporting, really, a child gets sunburn and you report it to the council, how ridiculous.

I think your last post does you credit Piemann. Hope the doc can sort your nipper out in the short term and there are no lasting effects. It's a tough call on the reporting or not. Perhaps talk to the doc and ask their opinion? I'd agree that it's an honest mistake but you'd expect someone responsible for young children not to make too many - I'd hope that a single incident wouldn't cause them a problem but repeated instances would ring alarm bells.

she made a bad mistake

Why does it need reporting, really, a child gets sunburn and you report it to the council, how ridiculous.

How bad would you say it had to be to report - a bad, bad, bad mistake or a really, really bad mistake? What level of neglect regarding your child would move you to action?

yes to report.

no to 'she mustn't go unpunished/must be sacked'

Just don't use that minder again.

If it was my kid, I'd be livid too.

Burn her. Burn her back with fire 😈

I'm not into speculation. If my child came home from a minder and had bad sunburn like that I'd probably say something like did you forget to put sun block on? He looks pretty sore, let's not have that happen again and leave it there. it's very easy to miss a spot when your applying suncream anyway. I have two kids of 6 and 10 and frankly a bit of sunburn wouldn't bother me or them too much.

Some of the repsonses on this thread seem highly disproportionate if your that worried about your kids H and S probably better to not leave them with other people (This is in no way directed at the OP more at the frankly hysterical replies)

It's a bit of sunburn - what?

Why does it need reporting, really, a child gets sunburn and you report it to the council, how ridiculous.

It's needs reporting as a child was hurt whilst in the care of a registered child minder. It does not mean she will be struck off or prosecuted injuries happy all the time for various innocent reasons but they do need reported. It's no different than reporting an injury at work, there needs to be a record to help prevent it happening again.

Did you send the kid out with a suitable sun hat? Are you sure it's only sunburn? I suspect sandy hands rubbing may have contributed. The nose is the first burn and looks fine.

When did sunburn become an [i]Injury[/i] I think that's my point.

Some of the repsonses on this thread seem highly disproportionate if your that worried about your kids H and S probably better to not leave them with other people (This is in no way directed at the OP more at the frankly hysterical replies)

We all parent differently, I definitely err on the over protective side and I always will, I like it that way and make no apologies for it, hopefully my daughter will appreciate my level of care in the years to come.

When did sunburn become an Injury I think that's my point.

Surely any burn is an injury.

I give up. Seriously kids have been getting a bit of sunburn here and there for thousands of years it's not an injury it's part of summer and a learning experience. I guess I'm just old fashioned.

When did sunburn become an Injury I think that's my point.

[i]A comprehensive term for any wrong or harm done by one individual to another individual's body, rights, reputation, or property[/i]

That from a legal dictionary. Harm to the body whilst in the care of another in this case. What isn't an injury about it?

How on earth can a child of that age learn about sunburn?

The increased risk of skin cancer in later life is believed to be doubled (IIRC) from childhood sunburn. If you think that increasing your kid's risk of skin cancer in later life is learning, crack on you great dad you.

When did sunburn become an Injury I think that's my point.

To use your own OTT statement [i]for thousands of years[/i].

joolsburger - Member

I give up.

Oh good.