Do babies/toddlers bleed more than adults (paper cuts etc)?

[Pinky]

My 11 month old somehow got a small cut (like a paper cut) on the side of her wrist and we had the worst time trying to get it to stop bleeding. It's the spot just below her thumb where it meets the wrist. I didn't think much of it but then today I noticed that she had scratched a tiny spot in her ear and it did a lot of bleeding too.

She is our first child and these are the first "injuries" she has had because she is just now getting to that cruising/exploring stage so I'm not sure what to expect. Do you guys think babies wounds are always difficult to stop or were hers just in an area that bleeds more than others? I'll of course bring this up at the doctor next month but just thought I'd toss the question out there to see what you ladies thought.

[LMPC]

As long as you were able to stop the bleeding pretty quickly, I wouldn't worry too much. I think sometimes it seems like more because it's distressing for us to see blood coming out of our DC's KWIM? I cut DD's finger when she was tiny and I was cutting her nails. Honestly, it was a teeny cut and a tiny drop of blood came out...but I was totally traumatized! Does she bruise more easily than seems normal? Could you stop the bleeding with moderate pressure?

[daisymommy]

If you really do feel that her blood does not clot as quickly as it should, I would talk to your ped. as she may have low vitamin K levels.

[Pinky]

As long as you were able to stop the bleeding pretty quickly, I wouldn't worry too much. I think sometimes it seems like more because it's distressing for us to see blood coming out of our DC's KWIM? I cut DD's finger when she was tiny and I was cutting her nails. Honestly, it was a teeny cut and a tiny drop of blood came out...but I was totally traumatized! Does she bruise more easily than seems normal? Could you stop the bleeding with moderate pressure?


I said "we" had trouble but it was actually my DH who was with her when she cut the side of her wrist. Imagine my surprise when I got home and said what is that on her shirt and he said blood. It wasn't a ton, but there were 3-4 little stains about an inch long on her outfit so makes me think it was bleeding pretty heavily. We've dealt with lots of stains the past 11 months but never a single drop of blood so I was a little shocked.

I should also mention that my DH is the calm one between us so for him to say it took a long time for it to stop bleeding means it really did. For me, I would have been more likely to overreact. LOL He said he tried holding pressure on it but every time he'd remove the cloth it would start running blood again. So after a bit he finally just let it sort of "pool" up and it formed a scab and stopped. This was a tiny cut too, maybe 1/8" and thin like a paper cut, not deep at all which is why I was surprised it bled so much. Of course all my mom worrying kicked in when I heard this and immediately I thought "what if she has a clotting disorder" etc. I mentioned it to my friend and she brushed it off and said she thought babies had more blood vessels near the skin surface so maybe that was why.

Anyway, I didnt think much of it until her little ear bled like it did today from just the tiniest of scratches. I keep her nails trimmed down but obviously not well enough. Her 12 month appointment will be coming up soon so I'll mention it then but I was hoping to hear some other moms say, "Dont worry about it, babies just bleed a lot!" Again, first time mom here so I'm not always sure what to expect.

[Pinky]

Also to answer the previous question... no, she doesn't bruise easily from what I can tell. She's actually never had a bruise or a even a real bump yet. She's toppled several times but it always just gets red for a bit and then everything is fine.

If you really do feel that her blood does not clot as quickly as it should, I would talk to your ped. as she may have low vitamin K levels.

I was wondering about that too... I suppose I'll just keep an eye on her and then ask the doctor about it at our appointment.

[LMPC]

Obviously, if you have any concerns, you should call the ped or the nurse to check in...but at this point, my money is on normal. I think if vit K levels were low you would be seeing other symptoms. just my very unmedical opinion

[Snow mom]

My experience has been the opposite. I'm really impressed at the lack of blood when DD scrapes her knee or injures herself in other ways. She'll get little scabs on scratches and scrapes but I don't know that we've had so much as a trickle of blood. I'd definitely mention it to the ped but I don't think it's anything to panic over at this point.

[elephantmeg]

I would have it checked out

[Pinky]

Thanks for the replies everybody... we'll definitely check with the ped just to be on the safe side.