18-Month-old Toddler Trips over Preschool Teacher’s Foot & Suffers Horrific Gash on Forehead

Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere, but there are several places where it is especially crucial to prevent them from happening.

These include schools, namely early childhood education centres, where toddlers are significantly more vulnerable to these accidents.

An 18-month-old child was involved in an incident at her preschool that left her with serious injuries to her forehead.

Luckily, the child is recovering, but the hospital bill sure was hefty.

What Happened

The child, who goes to Brighton Montessori kindergarten along River Valley Road, had accidentally tripped over her teacher’s foot in school on Friday (12 May).

According to Shin Min Daily News, this led to her knocking her head on a wooden chair.

The knock was so severe that it left a deep gash in the middle of her forehead, revealing a bone.

The kindergarten had called her mother, surnamed Shen, to inform her that her daughter had a bad fall at school. She was shocked to hear about it and didn’t know until the school called her.

When she arrived at her daughter’s school, the bleeding had stopped, but there was blood all over her daughter’s hands and skirt.

Before sending the child to a clinic, the kindergarten performed first aid on her. She was sent to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for stitches, but the hospital bill was insane.

It was $13,000. Yes, you heard that right.

The kindergarten has reported the incident to the Early Childhood Development Administration (ECDA).

More Accidents at Preschools

Shin Min Daily News reported that a three-year-old boy had suffered an injury at his kindergarten due to a pinch. Not a bite, not a knock, but a pinch.

According to his mother, the boy had been injured four times at his preschool, Hampton Preschool since he enrolled in January, and the 3.5 cm wound on his elbow was noticed by his teacher, who called up his parents about it on 29 March.

Though the wound didn’t look like it was from a pinch, two teachers from the school ascertained that it was due to a classmate pinching him.

While there was no concrete evidence to prove this, as the school does not have CCTVs, the boy also said that he was pinched.

His mother was displeased that the staff member who witnessed the boy’s classmate pinching him did not step in to ease the situation.

The wound on his elbow left a permanent scar and did not heal even after a week.

Even though the boy was coming home with bruises and scratches, his mother thought it was merely due to him playing rough in school.

However, he also had nightmares and shouted, “Don’t chase me” in his sleep.

Within the week of the incident, his mother withdrew him from the school.

How to Prevent Accidents Involving Young Children

While the two stories above are somewhat cases of misfortune, there are preventive steps that we can still take to ensure that young children are safe from injuries.

Common childhood injuries that children face include abrasions and cuts, fractures, bruises from knocks and accidental swallowing of foreign objects.

First aid kits should be kept in homes and places with small children, and parents and caregivers are encouraged to know basic first aid in the event of an accident.

Objects easily broken, sharp, small and hot should be kept out of reach from children. Chemicals, poisons, plastic bags, cords, and stools could also harm children.

Furniture could be secured to the wall in case your toddler tries to pull it down, window grilles installed as the child could climb on windows and locks added to secure drawers with dangerous objects.

Young children should be supervised in the toilet, and walls and floors should be kept dry.

Child-safe equipment is also encouraged for use.

For more details, click here to learn more about how your homes can be an entirely safe place for children.