Bruising on my 3 year old

Here's the situation.  My daughter has a lot of bruises on her legs and sometimes on her arms.  She's very active and i'm kinda concerned because it seems that every morning she wakes up with new bruises on her legs and I don't know where they come from.  I'm wondering is it normal for a 3 year old to have so many bruises on they're legs? And if not then what should I do?

[AnnieBrooke]

Talk to her pediatrician.  What does your daughter say about them, does she know where she gets them?  If she bruises easily, it could just be her (I bruise very easily and have all my life) or it could be something that can be supplemented such as upping her iron intake, or it might be a signal of something else.  Her pediatrician should be a guide to determining what is happening.

[luluweezie]

I'm the same, and so is my 3.5-yr-old; we're both very pale-skinned and seem to bruise just by looking at us! Having said that, we're also both low-iron -- not quite enough to be classified as anemic, but right at the low end of the scale. It's such a pain to get kids tested for iron and ferritin levels because of all their growth spurts; they should be tested every 6 weeks for 3 times to make sure it's an accurate reading. Kids are not generally big fans of needles, so if you can prepare her ahead of time by talking about it so she knows it will sting but only for a second, and having a really great treat like a lollipop or a trip to McD's to give her afterwards, it will help. Been there, done that!!

[Samantha1984]

She doesn't really say anything about them.  She does tell me that they hurt but she can't remember where they came from or how she got them.  I've talked to the doctor and she said that it's normal for a 3 year old to have bruises on their legs from them being active.  I think she just bruises easily but it only started around age 2 when she really became very active. My sister had a condition that caused bruising for no reason and I was worried that she might have that but the doctor at her last visit didn't feel she had that. I'll just have to talk to the doctor and find out what else to do.

[PoOKiE_FrEsH]

I have a son who is a little over 2 and he has a lot of bruising on his legs as well.  My son is very clumsy he will walk and trip over nothing lol  So I have had my fare share of concerned moments too.  It is weird seeing the bruises but I know how my son is.  he points them out to me and says boo boo but other than that it doesn't bother him much.  Because of your sisters condition I understand your concern. Periodically while at the dr. bring it up keep any eye on it.  Good Luck and I hope that it really is just nothing.

[teddybears4ever2]

I am very fair and have always had lots of bruising.  I have been told not to worry about it and just to remember that I bruise very easily.  I wouldn't worry too much about if after all she is a kid.  Kids are always getting hurt.

[Samantha1984]

That's what I think too. That she's a very active kid who bruises easily.

[blueeyedtabbycat]

I have 4 kids and they all get brusies on their legs. Think about how many times your daughter falls or walks into something. They have very delicate skin when they are small and it will bruise easily. Now if she were to have bruises on her back or chest or something I would worry.

[NapsRgoood]

My daughter has the same issue. She will be 4 in August. She always seems to have little bruises going from her knees to her ankles. After watching her playing more often I noticed shes a bit of a clumsy one. ^_^ She seems to fall a lot or even run into some things. I, personally, think its a common things for children your child's age. If it would help your mind though I would suggest taking her into the doctor's office just to see what he/she would tell you about it.  Good luck and I hope things get better for ya! :D

[maddie83]

Some children just bruise very easily...there is a herbal ingredient called arnica it stops bruising and is very effective you can buy it from any health shop and is perfectly safe for children hope this helps x

[lauranaz]

Concerns like bruising should always be discussed with your pediatrician.  What you've described sounds like your daughter is an active 3 year old who bumps into things, or falls off of toys etc during her busy little day.  They stumble, they trip, and if they're carrying something they land on it.  My daughter seemed to always have 2 bruises just above her knees.  When I asked her about it she shrugged her shoulders and didn't know why they were there.  Watching her play I saw her climbing on the jungle gym and her legs were just a little too short to jump so she would use her legs to balance and then jump.   The jungle gym would hit just above the knee.  As she grew the bruises disappeared...

[Ready_2_be]

Samantha: As a kid and even as an adult I have had this problem. Leave it to a good old fashioned organic family doctor to figure it out.
He noticed my shins covered with bruises about 12 years ago and asked why they were that way. I told him i had always been that way. He said "I bet you hate red meat." I told him he was right, I really had never liked the taste of it and had decided that I didn't even need it in my diet. He took a blood test and I was very very low on iron. He asked me if I could fit half a small steak into my diet once a week to get rid of the bruisng. I agreed and before he left he said if you could eat that two times a week they would even go away quicker. Well I did and he was right and in 2 months they were all gone and my skin color looked better all-around. I now eat a very small (4 or 5 ounce organic steak) once a week and add a second serving if I have any bruises. I really hope this helps!!! :)
Renee

[morgan49404]

I actually brought my daughter into the ER because of an entirely different reason and the doctor noticed all the bruises on her. After making sure it wasn't abuse, they drewsome blood and ran some tests. Her clogging time came back high and they discharged us and made us an appointment with a hematology clinic. A few blood tests later the diagnosis was confirmed. She has "von WilleBrands disease." In the US it affects about 1% of the population. I would suggest getting her tested for that.

[morgan49404]

I meant clotting. And It'sa hereditary disease.

[JennGabby]

I had a similar situation!. I took my one year old daughter to Peds after hours. And she had bruises that I knew where they are came from. And they called Child Protected service on me because I am a single parent and live by myself but I have a support system. But we are in the process of finding out why she bruise so easy. They already found out it's not abuse related!

[specialmom]

Oh my goodness.  How upsetting.  My kids are very rough and tumble and always have lots of bruises.  They jump off the play set, bang around, wrestle, etc.  I'd hate for CPS to be called!! But I guess that it is good that they have checks and balances in case it IS a situation in which someone is abused.  For the children's progrection I guess.  Just hard when you haven't done anything and feel like they might suspecty you did.  

Anyway, this is such an interesting and helpful thread.  JennGabby, I hope they find out why your daughter is bruising easily but hope it is not a clotting disorder.  good luck and let us know how things progress!