Sunday, November 19, 2006

I feel like the worst mom ever

Today after church we were all crowding in to the house through the back door and I knocked Evan over. He banged into our porch swing causing him to have a scratch and a huge goose egg on his forehead. I tried putting ice on it but you would have thought I was torturing him the way he acted. It was all I could do to keep him on my lap.

My question: How do you keep an ice pack on a reluctant toddler?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, there is no keeping an ice pack on a two-year-old! When EK fell this summer and we thought she broke her nose, I called the advice nurse, and she said, "Well, do your best to keep ice on it for the three seconds that she'll let you!" Best you can do is let them play with ice and hope it gets to the bump by osmosis. If its a mouth hit, popsicles can fool them into keeping the area cold. Sometimes I'll even resort to just letting them play with a cold baby wipe... at least its cooling on the occasional pass!

Good luck, and hope that Evan feels better soon!

bella

Otter said...

Here are a few things I've had success with...
instead of an ice pack try a bag of frozen veggies or fruit. Somehow the kids are totally fasinated with a frozen bag of peas on their injury. When Luc was little he always requested the frozen corn since that was his favorite veggie.

Also I keep a supply of popsicles in the freezer. When my kids (esp when they were younger)get hurt I jam the bag of frozen blueberries or corn over the boo-boo and a popsicle in their mouth.

The popsicle always seems to sort out the severity of the injury. Tears dry quicker with an orange popsicle stuck in their mouth! Magic!!!

Anyhow don't feel like the worst mom ever...we've all done stupid things. Good thing our brillance out weighs our stupid.

Anonymous said...

awww I totally feel for you. I shut Becca's fingers in the door once! Oh I felt bad!

Hope Evan feels better soon and good luck with the ice pack!

talitha said...

Oh, you have my sympathies. It hurts so much when we cause injuries, even though we know we didn't intend to!!

I have never had any luck with ice packs on any child that didn't want them. I just fight to try and get it on there al much as I can the first few minutes, then stop torturing me and them.

Gina said...

I have yet to figure it out! It doesn't get any eaiser as they get older, either.

Nancy Evans said...

trying to keep a toddler still is pretty much an exercise in futility. I know you feel bad bcause he is on coumadin but im sure he will be fine, just a little black and blue.
Even if you only keep the ice on for a few minutes that will be helpful.

Tracy said...

Hey, accidents happen (although I doubt that makes you feel much better!), you certainly are not the worst mom ever!!

Once I accidentally shut the car door on my son's hand. Other than a little cut on his finger, he was fine (the door didn't latch, thank goodness! or there may have been more of a boo boo!).

chichimama said...

We've always had luck with the frozen veggies/fruit as well. Hope he feels better soon!

And accidents happen. Don't beat yourself up over it!

you da mom! said...

I can't help you with the ice pack question, but I do know what it feels like to accidentally hurt your child. My baby rolled off the couch one day when I wasn't paying attention and hit his head on the carpet. Thank God it didn't bruise him, but it did shock him and he burst into tears. It felt like my heart was being pushed through an incinerator.

LITTLE MISS said...

Oh hon, I can beat it! I was frustrating trying to rush my three munchkins into the van and my son fell down and hit his head on the handle of the front seat. He had an instant goose egg, I can't believe he didn't have a gash, and left an awful reminder (er bruise) for the next three weeks!!

as a mom, i totally sucked that day.

Anne/kq said...

Duct tape! ;) We have a teddy bear cold pack, but that might not work for boys.

My mom slammed my fingers in the minivan door once. I was trying to open it, she thought I was trying to shut it and was "helping" me by shutting it for me. She's very strong. I had a swollen, purple hand for two weeks. *wince*