A Chinese mother who wrapped up her baby’s finger to prevent the child from chewing it almost caused the digit to be amputated.
On July 14, anxious young parents took their 11-month-old daughter to the Hunan Children’s Hospital in central China’s Hunan province.
They did so because the baby's index finger was swollen and purple.
The mother told the doctor that she had done so for the baby, nicknamed Lele, to prevent her from chewing her finger.
She said her family believed that finger chewing was unhygienic and could negatively affect the development of the baby’s teeth.
She read online that tying the baby’s finger up woulde be effective.
She said she only wrapped her baby’s index finger “loosely”.
The family was frightened when they saw her finger the next morning.
The doctor, Luo Yuanyang, said part of the skin and tissue on Lele’s index finger had died.
Luo said if they had taken the child to the hospital any later, the child’s finger would have had to be amputated.
The hospital treated Lele in time, successfully removing the dead tissue.
Doctors said it would take two to three weeks for the tissue to grow back.
Luo added that it was normal for babies under the age of one to chew their fingers: “Chewing things is a baby’s way of exploring the world,” the doctor said.
Normally the habit disappears at two or three years old.
“Parents only need to keep their hands clean,” she added.
Luo said it was only in cases where children bite their nails excessively due to anxiety or loneliness that parents should consider seeking help.
The Hunan Children’s Hospital revealed to a local media outlet, the Changsha Evening News, that they had witnessed several similar cases recently.
In one case, the parents tied their baby’s finger with a rubber band; in another, the parents put a glove on their baby’s hand.
Luo appealed to the parents to seek professional help when they are confused about their children’s behaviour, instead of trusting random information online.
“People definitely need proper training to be parents,” said one online observer.
“Ignorant parents can be a hazard for their children,” said another. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
