Georgia Injury Attorney Blog
As parents, we want to protect our children from all harm. We put our trust in daycare providers and hope that our trust is not misplaced. Then, one day, your child comes home from daycare with an injury. You worry if this a sign of daycare abuse. Injuries are common among children, but how can you know what is a normal injury versus an abusive injury?
Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers have come up with a list of seven common and perfectly acceptable injuries that can occur in daycare.
1. Minor scrapes.
Everything from paper cuts to falling can result in your child getting minor scrapes on their bodies. Children are not as coordinated as adults, so minor scrapes will most likely happen.
2. Minor bruises.
Just like minor scrapes, children can easily get minor bruises in the course of playing or even just walking. If your child returns home with new bruises regularly, look at where the bruises are located. You should only be alarmed if there is a pattern or if they are in a shape.
3. Getting bitten.
Daycare providers only have so many hands, and often the first sign of trouble is a child crying. Sometimes injuries caused by other children, such as bites, can happen. The size of the bite imprint should tell you that it was another child.
4. Getting hit.
Some fighting can occur in daycare. While daycare providers do their best to stop these behaviors, they cannot always stop the initial contact from happening. Sit your child down away from daycare and ask them what happened.
5. Broken bones in an active child.
If your child was playing a game or running, there is a possibility that they could fall and break their bones. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers note that when this happens, the daycare should respond immediately by calling an ambulance and calling you. Be sure to talk to your child away from their care providers to determine what happened.
6. Twisted ankles.
Walking is hard when you’re little, and it’s easy to twist an ankle while you’re trying to walk or run. This is a completely normal injury and is rarely related to abuse.
7. Sprains.
Likewise, sprains are common in an active child. Encourage them to be more careful and talk about the injury with their daycare provider.
Ultimately, our Atlanta accident injury lawyers find that the best way to ensure that your child is not being abused at their daycare facility is to pay attention to them. Are they excited and happy to go to daycare? Do they talk about a daycare provider negatively, or are they scared of someone at daycare? Talk to your kids frequently and encourage them to be open with you.