So, at lunchtime today my 6 year old came home from school with what looked like a huge blob of waxy stuff in her hair - after the usual 'what is that in your hair' conversation it turned out that she had fallen whilst at their swimming lesson, cracked her head on the floor causing bleeding and the teacher had put a handful of this 'gunk' (can't think of a better word to describe it) on her head .
Has anyone had any experience of what this is and whether I can wash it out of her hair tonight without doing any damage - there is so much of it in her hair that I can't see through to her scalp to see if there is an open wound underneath it all I am fairly confident that she hasn't done any lasting damage and is showing no signs of being troubled by it but it would be nice to know what I am dealing with!!
In addition, I received no information from the school stating that she had had a bleeding head wound - is this usual in CH? In the schools which my kids were at in the UK any child receiving this type of head injury would have been given a sticker to wear so that anyone who came into contact with them would know to look out for signs of the injury (sickness, sleepiness etc), the parents would be informed by phone and given the opportunity to pick them up and a note would be sent home with the child explaining what had happened and what treatment had been given. Whilst I know that things are very different here and that the kids aren't 'molly-coddled' as much as they are in the UK (for which I am grateful on most levels) - surely when it comes to head injuries there is a need for more information to be given.
Just wondering if anyone else has come across this and can offer advice?
I would have thought that the 'gunk' is vaseline or some other type of grease used to help the wound seal, stop it from bleeding and keep it clean.
Apart from that, I find it rather disturbing that they didn't think to inform you of what had happened. I'd be pretty annoyed if it were my child, that's for sure.
Head injuries are nothing to be lax about...get her to a doctor ASAP and insist on a thoroughal checkup! Switzerland is very lax concerning safety..doctors and nurses for instance don't even wear gloves (the ones I've witnessed) when giving an injection.
UK is a nanny state, but a head injury that requires vaseline to seal the wound is surely serious enough that the parents at least be notified?
A bit daft, to my mind, that the school thinks it isn't. Doesn't speak well of their attitude to child safety, as they obviously haven't considered possible concussion.
Did wonder if it was some type of vaseline but the texture thicker and more dough like than that.
Will be having a word with her teacher in the morning about what happened but as my German sucks and he is not comfortable speaking English it will be interesting.
She has been under observation all afternoon - no signs of headaches, feeling sick, pupils are equal and reactive and there is certainly no signs of sleepiness so I am fairly certain that there is no need for medical intervention but will be keeping an eye on her for the next 24 hours just in case.
um. If you'd ever cut yourself shaving you'd know that head wounds bleed like crazy. If you've not seen the wound, who exactly are you to judge how serious it is?
Likewise, ever tried putting a plaster on a cut covered by hair?
So in answer to your question, no. Use of vaseline is not a criteria for how serious a wound is. I'm guessing you've also no idea what action has been taken by the school.
Indeed.
Although it seems you have some common sense (based on your post above). Give your child a prod once asleep to check she wakes up OK.
Common sense needed here. If the wound is big enough to require vaseline/gel/other substance to be put on it, then it's going to be more than a "shaving nick".
There should always be somebody qualified in First Aid, usually the "Badmeister/in" at the Swimming baths, ( My husband is a qualified Lifesaver & works at the local pool, so I know this for sure.) Do you know if your daughter was taken to this person and checked out?
I would be furious if that were any of my kids, and the school definitely owes you an explanation/apology in my opinion.
For your peace of mind,( and to impress the seriousness of the incident on the School Governors/Teachers) I would get your little girl down to A & E tout suite! I've been several times with my two, they never made us feel like we were wasting their time, and it's better than the alternative
Let us all know how you get on, please!! I don't think I will sleep tonight worrying about your little one!!!
Oh dear. Nevermind. I didn't say it was a shaving nick. I used that as an illustration of just how much head wounds bleed. Common sense indeed. Just for fun, try and stick a plaster on your head (assuming you have hair). Let me know how you get on.
Almost identical thing happened to my son in 2nd kinski when he was also 6, except that he was bashed on the head with a sort of wooden rounders/mini baseball bat!
I was rung by the kindergarten teacher very soon after it had happened. She reassured me that it was ok but still suggested I should get it looked at by a doctor. There also was another mum in the building - she is a school nurse - and they got her to look at it.
I collected him immediately and we went to the emergency children's clinic in the nearby town. All fine.
In short, dealt with in a completely different way to your incident.
The problem here is that there are not set rules and procedures for when, for example, accidents happen and you are dependent upon the common sense of the adult involved (who in your case really didn't seem to have much). Yes we all moan about 'elf 'n safety back in the UK but on quite a few occasions since we have lived here, I have found myself wishing they had a similar (not so over the top) system here.
You should mention this to your daughter's teacher and hopefully he will learn what he should do if this happens again. In my experience it is not some blatant lack of care as to what happens to your child, it is simple ignorance and not having thought it through. For example, in our primary school there is a large chestnut tree in the middle of the tarmaced school playground. The children climb it, and indeed there were wooden tree trunk pieces (cut from another tree) left at the bottom to allow the smaller kids to get up into the lower branches. I was horrified when I saw this given that the tree is large and the kids were often more than 10m above the tarmaced ground. I pointed out the dangers of letting them climb a tree above such a surface (and for good measures advised them that, speaking as a lawyer, the school would be very muchto blame if a catastrophic accident were to occur) and the tree stumps disappeared. The kids now climb much more reasonable sized cherry trees on the school field. It was clear they had never given it a moment's thought, and when they did, they understood the dangers.
Thanks all for your replies. Had a little poke around the area where the 'stuff' was and no sign of any blood so gently washed her hair and got rid of it all - all looking good, no sign of any major gashes but quite a big lump!
Took a little trip down to the Paediatrician as didn't think it warranted a trip to A&E (did ring my sister who is a Paramedic and check with her though!). The Paediatrician didn't seem too worried - confirmed that I was already doing all the right things with regular observations and just said to continue watching her for the next 24 hours.
I will, however, be contacting the school in the morning to have a discussion with them about it.
Thanks Angela - don't worry, she is fine and currently tucking into a large slice of her sisters chocolate Birthday cake so there doesn't appear to be any lasting damage!!
She did say that she had been taken to see someone at the pool - she referred to them as a 'teacher' but could have been the lifeguard - most indignant that they made her stand in a cold shower to clean the blood off her hair before they put whatever the stuff was on.
Have had a trip to the paediatrician who says everything is fine - just need to keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours or so.
Oh my, how things have changed since I was at school.
I remember falling off a climing frame at the school and splitting my head open. A teacher then had to take me to hospital where I received 12 stiches for my injury. I was then taken back and had to do all of the afternoons lessons, then the same teacher called my mother to pick me up. The first thing I recieved from my mother was a clip round the ear for being a prat, and then subsequently 200 lines from the teacher which stated "I must not waste teacher's time"