Grossed out.

[gatorsmom]

Ok, I just had to post this. I"m not sure what to think of this. Greenbean (who is 18mo) got a nasty scrape on his wrist last Friday. He pretty much left it alone and it was scabbing over nicely with no signs of infection. Until today. I had all the kids with me when I was taking Gator to soccer practice tonight. And, on the way home, I stopped to get the boys ice cream. When I opened the door of the minivan to hand them the ice cream, I saw Greenbean sucking and (oh, this is gross) CHEWING on his scab. I pulled his arm away to see blood all over his mouth and slimy tissue hanging from his lips. His wrist was a mess too. And he was grinning like a dang vampire or something. I nearly wretched. I grabbed a clean napkin and squeezed his wrist but really, there was no point. I mean, I had to close the door and start driving home leaving him to more wrist chewing. Tonight, when I got him ready for bed, there it was totally cleaned of any scab and it looked like a fresh wound, but at least it wasn't bleeding and it wasn't red and puffy. I just left it alone. If I had done something to it like put neosporin or a bandaid on it, he'd have just eaten it off.

Is there something else I should have done? ewww, that was nasty.

[kransden]

No advice, but that is so gross and so funny! :hysterical:

[sarahsthreads]

No advice here either, but maybe it was itchy, so he was scratching it with his teeth? And hey, vampires aren't so bad...I mean, did you *see* the New Moon trailer?!?

(That would totally gross me out too - I think you held yourself together very well!)

Sarah :)

[DrSally]

Oh my, I don't know wheather to laugh or hurl. I bet it was itchy. What about a loose dressing as a reminder not to bite it!

[cvanbrunt]

I remember doing that as a kid to all my scabs! They itched like a #%$*^&@$@#. I must have stopped chewing them off at some point but I always picked the first scab off. The second one must not have itched.

[Snow mom]

I agree that it probably itched. I'm enough of a klutz to remember getting big scabs and how much they itch when they are healing. Maybe call your ped and ask what you can safely do to make the scab itch less so he won't get into the habit of doing this. Soaking in water might help the itch by softening the scab.

[DrSally]

I don't know, but maybe it itches, b/c it's pulling the skin tight. Maybe putting some aquaphor on it might help keep it soft/moisturized.