Life in the Ketchup Bottle: Emma's Finger

Friday, September 08, 2006

Emma's Finger

I noticed something interesting tonight.

A few weeks back, while I was in the bathroom and my husband was occupied with Bridey, who was screaming her lungs out because she wanted to eat, Ems climbed up and stuck her finger in the electric pencil sharpener (which was up too high for her to reach and which she'd been told "no, that hurts" about several times but which was apparently too attractive to resist, and which now resides in an even more inaccessible spot even though she freaks out whenever anyone goes near it now) and cut off the tip of her finger.

We figured out what had done it after the fact; at first all we knew was that it was bleeding and we couldn't stop it. We rushed her over to my dad's (he lives 5 minutes away, closer than any hospital, and is a doctor, and besides her insurance hadn't kicked in yet at that point) and he, having more experience and more stuff around than we had, was able to stop the bleeding and bandage the finger. Within a week and a half, it was completely healed, although there was something funky going on with her fingernail, we figure(d) that will probably clear up with time.

But tonight I noticed that even though the rest of her hands were very warm, that fingertip was rather cold.

It worries me a little. It doesn't seem to have poor circulation to me, but what do I know? And is there a reason that she keeps saying that she still wants a band-aid on that finger, like it still isn't feeling like the others do? I thought it was just 'cause she liked our Sesame Street band-aids, but maybe it's something more.

She has a physical on the 20th (finally, we've been trying to get her covered through Healthy Families for a YEAR and it finally came through), so I think I'm going to have to ask about it then. *frets, just a little bit*

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More Ketchupy advice on how to keep your child safe in the car

Make sure the seat you are using is the safest possible for your child's weight, height, and age, and used in the safest configuration possible.
Make sure the seat you are using is not expired. (Yes, they expire! They can weaken over time. Don't use an expired seat-- or for that matter, an outdated one, such as a car seat with an overhead shield, which are not generally considered safe.)
Never use a seat that has been in a crash (don't use it if you're not sure if it has been in a crash, either.)
ALWAYS read your car seat manual AND your car's manual to find out the best way to properly install your child's car seat!
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. One year and 22 lbs. is the MINIMUM, not the actual limit, or even the current recommendation. I am proud to say that all 3 of my girls are currently rear-facing, the oldest 2 in higher-weight rear-facing seats! Having bent legs or legs hitting the back of the seat does NOT mean that the child is too big to rear-face, and is not dangerous. There are now seats that rear-face to 40 lbs. and beyond.
Once your child turns forward-facing, keep her in a harnessed seat as long as possible, including buying a higher weight limit seat if you need to (and if possible.) 4 years and 40 lbs. is the MINIMUM, there are seats that go up to 65 and even 80 lbs. as a harnessed seat.
Make sure your seat fits your child and that you're buckling him in correctly. Check weight limits carefully. When rear-facing, straps should be just at or below your child's shoulders, and there should be no less than 1 inch between her head and the top of the seat. When forward facing, straps should be at or above the shoulders, and the top of the ears should not be above the top of the car seat. In a harnessed seat, the chest buckle should be over the nipples, with the top approximately at the level of the armpits. The harness should always be tight enough that you can not pinch any slack in it if you try. In a high-back booster, the belt should be correctly positioned across the child's chest and shoulder, and the tips of the child's ears should not be above the top of the booster.
Don't put your child in the car in a heavy winter coat or snow suit, especially in a harnessed seat! Remove thick coats before getting in the car; use blankets and/or thin fleece coats that you don't have to re-adjust the harness for, or buckle your child in and then put the coat back on backwards, or use it for a blanket, so it doesn't interfere with correct tightening of the straps.
Always make sure your child's seat is securely installed before buckling him in. Use whatever devices are necessary to get a tight fit, including LATCH according to guidelines up to 40 lbs., and locking clips for older seatbelts. Always make sure seatbelts used to install a seat are locked, whether by a locking clip or device or by pulling the belt all the way out before letting it retract (in newer vehicles.)
Never use LATCH belts and a seatbelt at the same time to install a car seat. This can put too much strain on the seat. Use one or the other. This doesn't apply to the top tether-- you may use the top tether after you have switched to seatbelt installation (see above links.)
When you must move your child to a booster, choose a high-back booster for as long as possible. Most experts agree that 6 years old is the youngest most childrens' hips are developed enough to distribute a seatbelt correctly, even with a booster, and a high-back booster provides more protection for your child's head and neck as long as s/he fits in it.
Never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. If there is a lap belt only seat in your car, the ONLY child who should be seated there is one in a five-point harness car seat installed with the lap belt (or LATCH if your car is equipped with it.)
ALWAYS read your car seat manual AND your car's manual to find out the best way to properly install your child's car seat!
Make sure the seat you are using is not expired. (Yes, they expire! They can weaken over time. Don't use an expired seat-- or for that matter, an outdated one, such as a car seat with an overhead shield, which are not generally considered safe.)
Never use a seat that has been in a crash (don't use it if you're not sure if it has been in a crash, either.)