Yes, these are blisters on a tiny 1 year old hand, and yes, this is my son's hand. It turns out, not all "Mommy & Me" classes are actually child-safe. I think it's kind of a bummer to start one of my earliest posts on this blog about something so negative, but this just happened, and I feel like it's my duty to spread the message of a little simple child-safety sooner rather than later.
A few days ago I was feeling spunky and decided to take my son to a Mommy & Me yoga class at Yoga West, here in L.A. It's a beautiful yoga space that specializes in kundalini style yoga, and it's where I went for all my prenatal yoga classes, and I loved it! The class takes place in a big, clean, open room with ambient lighting. River had a blast running around to all corners of the room, investigating other kids' mats, sharing their snacks and toys. I, too, was enjoying the much needed "me" time and stretches for my body. When River would wander away, I always kept an eye on him. I noticed that most of the electrical outlets along the wall had socket covers on them, but I was surprised that a few didn't. So I stopped stretching whenever he wandered too far and made sure he steered clear of the open sockets (it's amazing how quickly they find open sockets and start touching them). This should have been my first cue to give the room a quick scan for any other potential dangers. I just didn't think there would be any. It's a yoga studio, what other dangers could there be? If I had been more on the lookout, I might have noticed a lamp on the floor, illuminating a large photo on the wall. At the very end of class, as I was saying goodbye to the teacher, I looked at River just as he was putting his hand in the lamp and starting screaming. The lamp was completely open to an exposed and extremely hot light bulb inside. Needless to say, I whisked him up and immediately to the bathroom to run cold water over his hand, where blisters formed almost instantly (the blisters in the photo actually grew about 3 times in size by the next day, and there are 8 in total). My son started walking at 10 months (3 months ago), so he's had his fair share of daily bumps and big falls. He usually cries but recovers surprisingly fast. But the pain from this burn was so intense, he was writhing and shaking and just could not be consoled. I was so angry at myself for not being more vigilant, and angry at the place for having such a scalding hot light on the floor during a class where babies are supposed to be free to explore the space while their moms relax and do yoga. Another shocker was the fact that they did not have a first aid kit of any kind, and when I asked for some ice or something cold, they lackadaisically said they didn't have an ice machine and sent me down the street to a restaurant (that was closed). I had to run to the nearest gas station on foot with my screaming baby in my arms to get something cold for him to hold until I figured out what to do next.
Moral of the story is:
Not all Mommy & Me classes are child-safe
If you're not positive the space you're about to let your child run freely in is 100% safe, you don't have to go nuts or immediately pack up and leave, but a quick scan of the room for potential hazards is not a bad idea. In fact -- it's a good one!
Lesson learned the hard way is:
Have a first aid kit in my car at all times!
Our pediatrician said one of the 1st things you want to address when it comes to 2nd degree burns is pain control. I DO have a first aid kit in my car that I bought from Rite Aid, but upon opening it I realized all it contained were a bunch of bandaids and sterile wipes. I will now be buying a small container and filling it with:
- a bunch of bandaids and sterile wipes
- children's tylenol or motrin
- burn relief cream
- bumps & bruises gel such as Arnicare gel
- neosporin
- sterile gauze and tape
- small safety scissors (for cutting gauze & tape)
- small safety scissors (for cutting gauze & tape)
Wanna hear another crazy Mommy & Me experience? I was trying out a pretty highly touted Mommy & Me class here in the L.A. area, that had a crazy waiting list. Women literally sign up for this class the minute they find out they're pregnant to reserve their spot. Somehow there was an opening and I got a chance to try it out. We're all sitting on the floor with our babies in front of us, playing with toys. One mom was coming out of the bathroom with her eyes glued on her cell phone and actually tripped over a baby!!!!
I really try my best to not be a "helicopter parent" who hawks over their kid 24/7. I like the idea of being able to leave him in a safe space where he can move around and experiment and explore things on his own. If anyone's interested, the one class where I know he is in a safe space is in our RIE class. I will have to do a whole other post on RIE and our experience with it. But what I love about it is that the space is absolutely child-safe, cell phones and shoes are left at the door, parents sit on the outskirts of the room, and the children are left to roam the room as they please, engaging with each other and the safe objects in the room, and we simply silently observe. It's amazing how relaxing it is, as well as entertaining!
I hope you never have to experience a day like I had when River's hand was burned. I hope you find a Mommy & Me group that is a safe place for your baby. I hope if anything should happen that you are more prepared than I was. If you've had a similar experience, or have other suggestions for my first aid kit -- please share!
☆ Mama P
