[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.

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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.

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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.