Problem with 9 month old at daycare....is this normal?

[CruiseMomInSC]

I'm a first time mom, and my son is 9 months old. I only work 3 days a week and on those days, my son goes to daycare. Today, when my husband picked him up, there was a red knot on his forehead. Now, there's some confusion about how the bump got there. I was told that my son was standing and something caught his attention and he fell. My husband said that they told him that they dropped him. Okay, maybe I'm a little confused. Nonetheless....he has a red knot on his head. He's a kid. This will be the first of MANY knots on the head, I'm sure.

Well, tonight while we were out to dinner, I noticed a bite mark on my son's arm. Apparently someone bit him on the arm. Babysitter went out of town for the weekend, but I will be calling her to find out who bit him, or if they even knew about this.

This is a home daycare setting and as I mentioned, this is my first child. Can someone tell me if these occurrences are normal? Or do I have reason to be pretty ticked off about it all?

Any input is appreciated.

[kierrasmommy]

I think conflicting stories would make me wonder too. If it was one story, fine. But 2 VERY different excuses makes me wonder. If he was bitten it is their responsibility to let you know as well, if the skin is broken(even if it's just the top layer of skin I think) he needs to be seen as he may need a tetanus shot...I would definately question them. Yes, it's the first of many bumps and owies, but you need to feel confident with the child care you have and if you are feeling uncomfortable I would say trust your instincts and find somewhere else...not nessesarily because they DID do something wrong, but because it will give you piece of mind and you will be thankful and happier for that in the long run. Goodluck.

[haleysmum]

Hi the fact that you have heard 2 different stories sends out warning bells to me.....Why are they lying etc etc....I know that cost can be involved etc, but personally I wouldnt leave my child in a home day care centre unless I actually knew the people very well....They also should have told you about the bite...Another warning sign.......Also if they had in fact dropped your child, why wasnt he taken to get medical attention to make sure he is ok ? Especially considering the mark is on his head, so was he dropped on his head ?????? Yeah I would be very ticked off and taking him out of there....GOOD LUCK

[feelbad]

I think that since you really do not know for sure just what caused this bump to form,i would take your child to the Dr and have him checked out just to make sure he is okay.god only knows what was going on when this happened.the fact that this sitter never told you right away about the bite and the conflicting stories about his 'knot'should be sending up red flags everywhere here.Obviously if all of these things happened in just one day with this woman in charge of your childs care,she is not supervising or caring enough,or even responsible enough to be granted the privilige of caring for your child.I would run as fast as I could from this place.That is after you take your child to the dr to have them check out his neuro status and treat the bite appropriately and then send her the bill.you also might want to talk with other parents who have used this woman in the past to find out just how many unexplained incidents happened to thier children.you know in your heart that keeping your child with this woman is the wrong thing to do do.Find someone more qualified than this irrepsonsible woman.who knows what your child would end up with in just one week under her care?good luck,marcia

[Ratatosk]

The fact that you can't get a straight story sends up a red flag 'cuz I would assume your child would've cried, so they could've at least told you what happened. We had an incident at our day care center where DS was out for a walk and something happened in the stroller -- he fell out. I was told by the director that she can't get a straight story as to what happened, but they applied ice and had me sign a written report. That caregiver was fired shortly afterward -- apparently for not supervising the children properly. One of the kids at the center went through a biting phase and I saw other parents being given reports as to what happened, what they did..

Another time, ds -- who RUNS everywhere bumped his lip when he tripped and fell -- did the same thing at home a couple weeks later. And I felt HORRIBLE! He was fine after a few seconds and 4 ice pops later.

I would check or report this to the entity that supervises the day care licensing in your area. The county social services handles it in our area and they inspect the day cares -- both home and centers on a regular basis.