3rd accident on the climbing frame at school

Bublin1

Today is the third time the school has called to tell me she had hurt herself on the climbing frame since Sept when she started. She is 4 years old.

The first time she suffered a cut lip.
The second time I cried when I saw her injury. She had bit an actual hole in her tongue. I was told she only cried for a minute and they put ice on it. Amazingly it healed within 2 days. I told the school to not allow her back on the frame for the rest of the week. I discussed supervision in the small play area and all seems reasonable.
Today she banged her mouth on the frame. She told me the teacher said she wasn't allowed on the top bar anymore.

My dd is very adventurous and looooves to climb. She is the girl who wants to push the boundaries and do everything. She's tough little thing and dusts herself off if she's hurt....which is almost never when she's with me.

I just feel like I need to discuss this issue with the school but not sure what we can do about it.

She used to do gymnastics but stopped when she started school. She'll start again next month. She always suffered a bump during the gym sessions and staff said she is very 'ambitious' and praise her. I would sometimes watch when she first entered the gymnasium. Like an animal let out of cage. Straight to the A-bars doing goodness what on it :eek:

Ive never wanted to dampen her sense of adventure so have always let her do want she wants (within reason) with my close supervision. Now that she's a little older and me not hanging over her all the time I'm worried I've made a rod for my own back.

Ok I've rambled on.

What do you think? Paranoid parent or right to be worried?

LondonDiva

Tell your daughter to be more careful. If you think that she's not pyhsically competent to go on the frame tell her and the school that she is now banned from climbing it and that there will be consequences if she disobeys you / the teachers.

In a few months hopefully she will be more coordinated and can join the other kids in their fun.

poet123

I agree, you need to back up the instruction from the teachers. With the best will in the world the supervision of numerous kids on the playground cannot be as good as 1.1 attention from a parent. To keep her safe you have to ensure she follows the rules.

valk_scot

Some kids are naturally more "bumpy" than others and it's usually the ones that are pushing the boundaries of their physical abilities, as you say. I know how you feel though, two of my kids are like this! I'm the mum with the kids walking the high wire while I can't watch without peeking through my fingers. You can't help having your heart in your mouth, can you?


But really, have a think...you wouldn't want to make her timid or nervous would you? Or frustrate her by wrapping her up in cotton wool? As long as she isn't being allowed to get herself into seriously dangerous situations then I think it's good for kids to stretch and challenge themselves a bit. It gives them confidence and it does mean they develop far faster than a child who has always been kept "safe" from anything even slightly risky. I personally don't think three bumps on a climbing frame in what...four months of attendance...is that bad tbh. My DD could have done that in an afternoon.


Bachs Rescue Remedy is good for panicky mums of wannabe superheros.

Bublin1

LondonDiva wrote: »

Tell your daughter to be more careful. If you think that she's not pyhsically competent to go on the frame tell her and the school that she is now banned from climbing it and that there will be consequences if she disobeys you / the teachers.

In a few months hopefully she will be more coordinated and can join the other kids in their fun.

Thank you for all the replies. Very helpful.
I've just written a letter to the school telling them that she's not allowed on the top frame until further notice. I'll talk to her about it in the morning. She needs to start learning about personal safety. She's almost fearless!

Going to get some Bach's too!

LondonDiva

Bublin1 wrote: »

I've just written a letter to the school telling them that she's not allowed on the top frame until further notice.

What will be the consequences for her if she disobeys? How do you expect the school to enforce this rule?

In writing the letter is this because you want to make it clear that you will hold the school accountable if she goes on anyway and falls off? If this is the case, if I was the school I would then tell you that she would have to either have indoor play or spend her playtime within a 10 yard radius of a playground supervisor at all times.

sooty&sweep

Hi

What is your daughter's view of these bumps ? Does she understand why she has hurt herself and thus what not to do the next time ?

My daughter is fearless and we say that she is part mountain goat because she'll climb anything but there are a couple of times that she frightened herself and from that learnt that there are reasons why she'd been told not to do something.

My daughter is also the type of child that you can tell her 101 times not to do something but she will still do it. So a couple of times she has learnt the hard way the reason why she'd been told not to do something in the first place.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is you can do your utmost to protect them but they do need to learn to know their own limitations and think about their own personal safety.

Jen

GobbledyGook

I agree with LondonDiva. If you don't want her on it then you have to make sure she knows that she's not allowed on it.

However, and maybe I'm a lax parent or whatever, but I don't think 3 incidents for a very ambitious and adventurous child is bad at all. I get an accident slip for DD2 at least once a week.

In your shoes I'd just be backing up the teacher telling her not to go on the top bar anymore rather than banning her completely.

Bublin1

LondonDiva wrote: »

What will be the consequences for her if she disobeys? How do you expect the school to enforce this rule?

In writing the letter is this because you want to make it clear that you will hold the school accountable if she goes on anyway and falls off? If this is the case, if I was the school I would then tell you that she would have to either have indoor play or spend her playtime within a 10 yard radius of a playground supervisor at all times.

The last time she was told to stay off it completely for 4 days, she fully understood why - the hole in her tongue - and she was happy to play elsewhere and inside. The teacher just talked to her about it and she obeyed.
We briefly talked about it this evening and I said I may have to restrict her use. She said, 'Because I keep hurting myself mummy?' I said yes and she said, ' I have to be more careful'. Bless her.

No, no consequences for the school. I know it's not there fault. As I said I just want to restrict going on the very top bar as this is where apparently the slipping is happening.

Bublin1

sooty&sweep wrote: »

Hi

What is your daughter's view of these bumps ? Does she understand why she has hurt herself and thus what not to do the next time ?

My daughter is fearless and we say that she is part mountain goat because she'll climb anything but there are a couple of times that she frightened herself and from that learnt that there are reasons why she'd been told not to do something.

My daughter is also the type of child that you can tell her 101 times not to do something but she will still do it. So a couple of times she has learnt the hard way the reason why she'd been told not to do something in the first place.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is you can do your utmost to protect them but they do need to learn to know their own limitations and think about their own personal safety.

Jen

Well, each time I get a call from the school to tell me what happened and that she is fine. I pick her up from after school club and within a minute she tells me she hurt herself on the frame. I tell her she has to be more careful etc. This time she told me sheepishly because the last time she got a 4 day ban. She mentoned the time she hurt her tongue. Generally she isn't phased by getting hurt.

maman

Bublin1 wrote: »

No, no consequences for the school. I know it's not there fault. As I said I just want to restrict going on the very top bar as this is where apparently the slipping is happening.

I'm pleased you said that but I think you need to think it through a little more carefully. Are you expecting the school staff (breaktime and lunchtime?) to physically stop her going on the climbing frame (or even harder to stop her climbing too high once she's on there) or are you expecting your daughter to keep away from it herself. Policing this is going to be very difficult. I'd suggest you had a talk with her teacher/Headteacher to come up with what's practical/possible in the school situation rather than sending in a letter. This isn't the same as you supervising her 1:1 in a playpark.