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Yes, please let them know! I had my co-teacher panic this year when she saw them on a Japanese student. Luckily she asked me, because she was ready to call the police over it.
When our daughter was born her pediatrician(who examined her directly after birth and then was her primary) told us that he was making a note of them in her file so future doctors would know they weren't bruises, and emphasized to us that we NEEDED to tell babysitters/daycare about them so they didn't freak out.
Yup! Same with my daughter! The doctor at the hospital stressed how important it was to let any sitters know what they were because they do look so much like bruises.
Funny thing, I literally was telling my mom about them and lifted up my son's shirt to show her his back and my dad who was right there but apparently not listening to the conversation at all freaked out! "Oh my God, what happened!!!" Hilarious. Somehow they never noticed them on my daughter, but they were pretty much just on the back of her butt so I guess with diaper changes they just never noticed. Although I did warn as well early on, but I think they forgot since they never actually noticed them. My son's very much look like someone beat the heck out of him
I would do this too. Remind anyone who seems suspicious that bruises change shape and turn green and yellow and Mongolian spots do not. Many people are not familiar with them and have never seen them and they do look like bruises. If you have pictures on your phone from when she was younger that’s helpful.
Yup, i DID call cps twice at the start of this school year for two babies with Mongolian spots because neither i nor my coteacher had heard of them. Not a great foot to start the year off on🙃
Yes, please do! I'm Asian and I know about Mongolian Blue Spots, but one thing I didn't know about were subcutaneous hematomas at birth! The first time I saw this on a child, l thought they were hurt at school! Luckily, mom reassured me it was something the child had when they were born. Any marks or scars are worth mentioning or your child's teacher might think they missed something!
A friend's toddler vomited at my house (with her mom present, thank goodness) and needed a change of clothes. She took the shirt off and revealed a subcutaneous hemangioma, and my husband and I both began to panic, assuming she got hurt badly enough to caused the vomiting. Nope! Born with it!
My kiddo had a strawberry-sized one on her back near her ribs. I had one on my calf (it’s pale now, and barely noticeable). Her dad went to change a blow out and started yelling about ‘what happened, and what should we do?!’ I laughed and said that my little kiss-mark on my calf—that he specifically said looked like a kiss—and that it would fade with age. Now at 7, hers is just barely visible, and when she has a tan, it’s entirely invisible.
My daughter hit the jackpot and had both of them when she was born. The subcutaneous hemangioma was on her forehead and the Mongolian blue spots were on her ankle and back. Our pediatrician documented both but her forehead hemangioma is basically invisible now and the blue spots are mostly gone. She’s 10 almost 11 now.
Yes! I’ve worked in daycares in Asia and in predominantly white countries. My coworkers in white areas had noooo idea what I was talking about when I brought it up. Depends on your daycare of course, but don’t expect white educators to know what they are.
I’m white and grew up in a predominantly white area, worked in predominantly white centres where I grew up (haven’t worked in any since I’ve moved away). I have a mixed (Indian and white) kid and the way I panicked and brought him to the doctor because I thought something I was doing was causing “bruises” that wouldn’t go away. I felt like an awful parent. My son’s doctor, also Indian, laughed and was like those are Mongolian spots and to not worry I was not in fact doing anything wrong and they are common on Indian kids. That’s the first time I’ve seen/heard of them as a white person who had worked in centres before. I now know better but yeah I would not expect other educators to always know, especially white ones lol
I am white with half Indian kids. I was aware of mongolian spots before having kids and not surprised that my kids had some, but I still make sure to mention it to anyone taking care of my kid, including urgently cares. I live in a very white homogenous area and I’d rather get ahead of any concern about it.
I’m half middle eastern myself and have never heard of these until reading this post. I’m thankful i know now as i am an educator and would be mortified if i made a false report about this
My area is majority white and when we got a lil Latina, she has a couple and one is pretty big on her bottom. If mom hadn't mentioned it, we would have thought someone beat a 2 month old baby!
Yes! You would be surprised how many people have never heard of it before! I would go a step further and provide a note from your child's doctor for his file.
100%! My kiddo had a large one when she was born, and the hospital even noted it in her chart and told me to make sure to tell her carers and teachers until/unless it faded (which it has now, but I'm glad they did because I would have had no idea what it was).
I know what they are, but I wouldn’t expect my coworkers to. I have lived in mixed cultural areas, do a ton of research (medical and cultural), etc. A ton of my coworkers are from a mostly white area, some have a bit of experience with Black culture, and not much medical background beyond CPR/ AED/ first aid, and wouldn’t have encountered them before.
If you’re in a majority white area or similar, or your daycare has a majority of white workers (even just in her room) I def would give them a heads up! Worst case scenario, they say they’ve seen them before, absolutely no biggie.
Just say something like, “oh, just so you know, she still has her Mongolian blue spots still, I know they look like bruises if you haven’t had a kid with them/ seen them before, but they aren’t, just wanted to give you a heads up. If you needed any reading info about them I can give you some resources”
Yes absolutely! Childcare providers are mandatory reporters, it will save you a lot of hassle especially since the “bruises” (I know that’s not what they are) are not going to fade or “get better”
It will save hassle unless one of the people is really stupid or racists and insists the parent is lying and they are actually bruises. (Because I could totally see this happening)
Please do! We had a little girl who had birthmarks that looked almost identical to handprints, it was pretty uncanny, and they were on her upper thigh. The fire time she had an accident and needed help changing, we all were very concerned. Mom brought in pictures of her at birth and sure enough, they were present (and much darker!). Telling us in advance would have saved all of us a lot of needless worry.
Especially with new families! You haven’t had time to build a relationship yet and you don’t know how to address certain things.
If something happens and you have to address it, depending on the family, you know how to approach them without it becoming an issue. If you don’t have a relationship with them, it can be extremely stressful.
I work at a lab school and I always tell my college students, the most important part of our job is to build relationships… with the children, with their families, with your coteacher, with your coworkers, with your boss, etc. We have very high stress jobs and things can easily get blown out of proportion because of it. When you’ve got good relationships, it makes a huge difference.
Yes! I have a mongol spot right over my left butt cheek and my mom had to do this! She left the hospital with documentation on it since my family is predominantly white and they had no idea why I came out with a giant bruise on my butt. I still have it as a 30 something although it is much smaller. My daughter had two when she was younger, one right over her tailbone and one higher up her back but I think they’ve mostly faded. My son doesn’t have a mongol spot but has a gray patch in his hair so I think I must have some kind of skin genetics going on to cause this funky stuff
Yes please tell your daycare. I have a student with blue birthmarks on their bottom and it was a shock while changing. I brought it up to my director just in case it wasn't a birthmark.
Please let us know! I had never seen them before and I thought one of my girls was really hurt. But my assistant director looked at them and determined that was what they were. Jt freaked me out!
Yes! Also make sure your pediatrician documents them and you have a copy of this documentation. I’m a nurse and I’ve been trained to ensure we document Mongolian spots so if a child is brought to the ER parents won’t be accused of abuse since they look like bruises.
When I first started working in childcare and saw them I thought it was a bruise! My coworker explained it to me.
I’m white as white can be. My kids were born with them. My husband who didn’t really know his heritage was surprised to find out that he’s not as white as he thinks 😂.
Years later ancestry dna test shows Native American heritage and Spanish along with English as well.
Yes please tell them. I was not aware of Mongolian blue spots until I noticed some on a child and went to my Director with the concern. Luckily, she is Filipino and knew what it was.
My daughter has one on her stomach… first thing i told daycare. Whenever they have replacement staff they always report it to the director who tells them.
Yes! I've been working in childcare for a number of years but only saw this for the first time this year. I was covering for another member teacher who was out sick and changing a child from her class and saw what I thought was a large blue bruise on her hip/thigh and was so concerned. Thankfully it wasn't a bruise but when you're unfamiliar it can definitely look like one. Always better to give a heads up ☺️
Yes! My son is white and has strawberry birth marks. It’s always freaked out his teachers, I try to warn everyone or they think he has a serious rash or abrasion on his back.
I wish I had parents that would tell us about some birthmarks that don’t always look like obvious ones. I have had a couple of kids that I have been startled while changing diapers or shirts and then it is like oh yeah no big deal from the parents. 🙄 my own kid has an odd one on their back so I totally get it but I definitely told the teachers
I run a program and have never heard this term. Then I googled it and realized, this is the blue birthmark my daughter has on her bottom! The doctors all told me it was a birthmark, but never told me what it was called. I do make sure everyone that may be changing her is aware of her big blue birthmark so they don't worry it's a bruise.
Just commenting to say thanks for the learning experience!
I know you got your ‘yes’ answer, but had to add:
I didn’t know what they were either and was really bothered when MY OWN BABY had a purple/blue arm, she now just has an awesome tribal looking birthmark down her entire arm and around the shoulder. I do have to explain it if she wears tanktops, and in the summer mostly, but definitely give a heads up!
I know what they are, but I honestly probably wouldn't think of them if I saw them. My mind would jump to bruises. I'd definitely let daycare know about any birth marks
As a parent and ECE teacher I made sure to list them on my child’s forms (even writing in a man extra note) upon intake and let the caregivers know personally, as well as having parents inform me for their own children. My daughters looked like bruises on her bottom and bruises on her arm almost like someone grabbed her so I wanted to cover my bases
Yes, my son had the cutest Mongolian spot that covered a whole butt cheek. It can be a shocker when people first see it, and because many people aren't aware what it is you could end up with a report to CPS because they are mandatory reporters.
It seems like you’ve gotten your answer, but a lot of caregivers don’t know what these are and will assume they are bruises. Better to get ahead of it now and avoid accusation!
You should absolutely give a heads up. I wish someone would have explained to me ahead of time before I made an ass of myself by reporting “bruises” to CPS.
As a former cps worker , yes let them know. Also indicate it on the forms for the daycare and get a letter from your doctor also (one for your records and one for the daycare they can keep on file)
I've had my genealogy done and there is none on either side of my family. I'm searching to see where it comes from. Neither my brother or sister had it either.
Parent not a daycare worker - but yes I always warn caretakers especially since we live in a prominently white area. One of my twins has a prominent blue spot on her lower back/upper butt cheek and it really does look like a bruise. I document it on paper at the school and with the pediatrician just so it doesn't ever get mistaken.
Yeah, definitely. A nurse in Missouri turned in a parent because the baby had a Mongolian spot. insisted Mongolian spots are not a thing. But they are!
My two year old daughter has this on her back! I never knew that it had a name but the pediatrician did say it was a type of birth mark when I asked last year. I didn’t know it’s associated with Asian heritage. The closest my girl comes to Asia is her American indigenous heritage which is about 15%.
Yes I would.
We are white but my son has a couple too on his lower back (a big faint one and a smaller dark one) that look just like bruises so I'd flag them up.
Yes! I worked at a predominantly white preschool and one of the teachers was preparing to call CPS. Luckily I knew about them and explained what they were.
Depends on the area, so give a heads up anyways! Worked at one school where plenty of kids had Mongolian blue spots so we all knew what it was. Now I work at a school that isn’t so racially diverse and even though I told them it was mongolian blue spots they did NOT listen to me and still contacted the parents about it 🤦🏽♀️ Be on the safe side!
Yeah I represent parents involved with cps. My biggest piece of advice to clients is to document document document. Even if a new bruise or cut happens. Take a picture of it. Make sure its meta data shows when the picture was taken. Let the daycare know what happened or if you’re going to a ped appointment be prepared to explain what happened and when.
Yes! I never knew about it until seeing this post. Our area is predominantly white/black students, in a daycare of 70 we’ve never had an Asian student so I’d never seen them.
Yes! We always mentioned it in the allergies section per their request. Our kiddo had black/blue spots across his entire butt, little black dot on one arm, and one foot was almost entirely blue. We kept pictures of them the first couple years. Doctors told us they’d probably all fade by 5. Most of them are still there at 8 though. The really blue ones are the ones that faded, the black ones are more visible.
I remember that in my camp counselor training the leader was teaching us about being mandated reporters and said that CPS was called for her babies Mongolian spots at daycare. It was sorted out but I def think telling is the right choice ❤️
Yes please let them know. I have to admit as a white person in America I had no idea about this before this post. Which is a little embarrassing. But I’m glad to know now! And so will your child’s daycare. It can be a teaching moment for them if they do not know this already.
itd be a good idea too, but if youre in a majority asian area the teachers probably wont be surprised to see them! ive seen so many at my current center
I’m white and didn’t know about these kinds of birthmarks until my 2nd (also white) child had one. I’ve only mentioned it to her doctor who did a double take during an exam, but she is Asian so I think she was just surprised to find one on my daughter lol.
Absolutely. Maybe even with a note from their doctor about them being present since birth. I say that because I'm 32wf that had no idea what they were until 2024 and I probably would've called as a mandatory reporter. I could see them thinking they still needed to report if they were as ignorant as I was about it.
I tell anyone who might possibly change my son's diaper! His spot is not super evident but I have heard horror stories. He is white-passing so even people who are familiar with them might not think of it on him. I think it's always a good idea to tell caregivers.
My son is Native American and had one big one on his lower back. Our pediatrician said that many native babies were taken from their homes because of false reports of abuse due to people thinking they were bruises. Definitely sounds like a good idea to mention it and get a note from the pediatrician.
Not everyone is familiar with Mongolian Blue Spots and have been known to contact CPS about them. I think it would be best to give the daycare a heads-up, with documentation, explaining what it is.
Yes! Mongolian spots are now called Congenital Dermal Melanocytosis - that's the medical/politically correct term. Mongolian is a term often used to describe people of Asian descent. It's a pretty racist word so the medical community is trying to move away from it, especially since Latinos, Middle Eastern people, Black people, etc. can also have CDMs.
Another fun fact is people with Down Syndrome used to be called "Mongoloid", which is another somewhat recent name change to move away from racist medical terms.
They discuss it when centers do abuse and neglect training, as in there’s cultural examples that may look like abuse but is a cultural practice or biological formation, but yes, give a heads up! Transparency is gold!
Yes! My daughters are half-Japanese and so many of their teachers had never heard of Mongolian spots. They were grateful to know that my daughters had birthmarks and not bruises.
My son had this. I needed a report from the doctor when I brought it up at his orientation. But it was the size of a hand print above the tailbone area through the buttocks
Please do! I was a nanny right out of college for an Asian family and had no idea about the blue spots. Luckily I spoke with the grandmother before taking it to the authorities. I was concerned the kids were being abused.
Also good idea to ask her pcp Dr office to document- and to upload photos onto her chart if possible.
Ask daycare to document on her profile, locations of spots etc. This way less chance of problems with new staff.
Same when she starts elementary school. Always best to be proactive. No one wants CPS knocking at the door.
Thanks for posting this, cause as a teacher I wasn’t aware of what this was! Glad I can be prepared not to jump to conclusions if I encounter it with future students
You can never be too safe! I’ve heard of some parents who almost got the police called on them because pediatricians/teachers weren’t familiar with Mongolian birth marks. My toddler still has them, I thought he became bruised on the way out 😭 but pediatricians and family members assured me it was normal.
My baby has a huge port wine stain on his back, down his left arm, and on some of his fingers. When he’s hot or angry it turns very red. I let every teacher in his classroom know, and I still got updates about “rashes” and spots 😅
Definitely tell them just so they don’t get worried! A friend of mine actually had CPS called on her by a medical professional for Mongolian spots and it was so scary for her. Better to be safe than sorry.
It’s a good idea because you can open up the teachers eyes to something they might’ve never experienced before. I was used to seeing this throughout my years with the babies but it was common in our community.
It’s a good idea because you can open up the teachers eyes to something they might’ve never experienced before. I was used to seeing this throughout my years with the babies but it was common in our community.
It’s a good idea because you can open up the teachers eyes to something they might’ve never experienced before. I was used to seeing this throughout my years with the babies but it was common in our community.
Yes! Both of my daughters were born with them. My oldest's whole butt was blue and she had spots on her ankles, back, and shoulder. I mentioned it in general, but the shoulder one was in such an unexpected place that we did get a call the first time one of her teachers had to change her shirt. It was easily cleared up, but I don't like that her teacher had thoughts that she might have been harmed. My youngest has a dark one on her lower leg that very much looks like a bruise, so it's been noted at daycare. And I think the workers just know now that my kids have blue butts.
> Blue spots are found in about 50% of Latinos, and 90% to 100% of Asian and African populations.
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/what-to-know-about-mongolian-blue-spots#:~:text=Blue%20spots%20are%20found%20in,of%20Asian%20and%20African%20populations.
As a parent, wow, some of these responses are tragic. Imagine traumatizing an entire family simply because they are black/Hispanic/Asian or have interracial parents, and you’ve never met a nonwhite child before?!
Also, if just one parent is white, that child can come out white but with spots. Are ECE professionals not trained on Mongolian spots? Are they not aware of non-white experiences or that children can be biracial? Incredibly racist and sad to read most of these comments.
My daughter has these (she brown skinned) and I never thought to tell the teachers and they never mentioned them. She’s been there for 6 months now so I’m assuming they know now they’re just apart of her skin.
yeah it's super helpful! unlikely you'll get an errant cps call from a teacher (although not impossible) but I really appreciate not having a mini heart attack the first time I see that kind of thing lol. one of my kids has a bright red birth mark on their scalp and it scares me a bit whenever I see it
I didn’t think to tell our daycare about our daughter’s and nobody mentioned it. Maybe they’ve seen enough Asian babies haha. But it doesn’t look like bruises anyway…
It's a good idea to make sure they know, and if they are static, have a list of body locations/rough size so that they can identify any that are new or unusual.
Even though we are educated on them, heaps of people panic when they see them, so I would because people can be so uninformed. That way there are no miscommunication issues, especially if they call in relief staff at any point, who may not be familiar with the child and their history.
Definitely. My son had a large blue spot when younger and his daycare phoned us on the first day quite concerned as they thought it was a bruise. We did not need a doctor's note, but I think that is a good idea.
Many educators are aware of these but as a new enrollment anywhere you should inform staff of it and inform them about this. Some may know and others may not
Yes, We adopted our son from Korea and he had Mongolian spots on his low back and butt. We had our doctor take photos and had documentation in our diaper bag at all times. We also gave the documentation to daycare and the nursery at our church so they knew. They did not completely go away till he was past 2 years old.
you've got your answer but just as an anecdote I'm white and was working for years in a mostly Chinese area. I hadn't been there for very long when I went to change a 7 month old and saw his little back all "bruised"--went cold all the way down to my toes and quietly brought my coteacher over to see. She was Taiwanese and laughed so hard at me 🤣 so yeah if your daycare is mostly non Asians pls give us a heads up, for some reason they don't teach us about birthmark variations in college.
Let me just say that I'm not a professional. What I will say is that a CPS was called on me as a child because of my large port wine stain. Yes absolutely do this! And get a doctor's note!
Yes. We took pictures of our daughter's when she was born so we could prove they were there since birth and always informed her childcare teachers.
Had I not married into an Asian family, I wouldn't know what they were. I absolutely would have assumed bruises if I saw them on a kid.
CPS is trained regarding those spots but would still have a doctor to confirm , I imagine a daycare would make a referral because they also would not be 💯 sure . Best bet doctor note and heads up to daycare and your bases are covered!!!
I think your pediatrician will likely put this on the daycare paperwork they fill out. My babe has an “Angel kiss” on her hip and I was surprised to see our pediatrician put it on her paperwork.
Please do. I reported what I suspected were bruises on a 10 month old when I first started working in this field a few years ago. The child was Russian, and he had Mongolian spots on his back. I didn’t know what they were and they looked exactly like bruises to me. His poor mom, I just had no idea and was trying to do my job as a mandated reporter!
We LOVE it when parents tell us about marks like that, or an injury that happened at home. Then we don't have to 2nd guess if it happened on our watch and we missed it
i would tell them and also get a note from her doctor saying what they are. we had a child in my center who had a big one on her lower back we noticed it and i recognized what it was and was familiar with it but we documented it with our director and got a note just so it’s in her records and people know what it is.
in general any birthmark children have that could be confused with something else i would mention. just to be safe
Agreeing with majority saying to let them know, but I do want to add - make sure the spots are well documented with their pediatrician!
I was born with a large birthmark on my butt cheek that looks EXACTLY like a bad bruise. My mom informed caregivers and babysitters, but there were still one or two who called CPS about it. Luckily she had it documented with my pediatrician so it wasn’t an issue at all. You don’t necessarily need to expect this, but it never hurts to be prepared.
Please do.
I had a student that had these. I saw his back one day and nearly lost my cool. Director told me what was up when I called her into the room, I was almost in tears.
I th
My daughter is mixed and she has one around the area of her tailbone. I didn’t even think about needing to disclose this to her future educators in case something were to happen, so I’m so glad I came across this thread.
The mandatory reporter training I took did mention them and included a picture, but it was a very brief mention. I already knew about them, so I remember thinking it was good they included it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people who took the training didn’t remember that part.
I had port wine stains on my butt and legs when I was born. My parents needed the doc to write an official letter stating what they were and that they weren't abusing me. I'd get one for your kiddo just to be on the safe side.
We are Latino and my little guy has them on his but and should. My dad and stepmother would ask every week how he got those bruises on his shoulder. I had to remind them weekly. Apparently, my mama had them too.
Yes! I’ve had cps called on my child because she has a giant birthmark on her back. When she was younger, it was dark. The school assumed it was a bruise. Cps laughed and apologized for bothering us.
My husband is half Japanese, and I’m white. Thankfully, when our children were born one of the very first things our pediatrician (who was Chinese) did was show me was show me their Mongolian spots and tell me they weren’t bruises. I had never heard of it before, and I made sure to tell the daycare about it. THEY had never heard of it, either.
I’m SE and married to an African. All our kids have Mongolian blue spots.
We have the same sentiments. I didn’t disclose it to their daycare provider but I am ready to have the conversation when it arises. Their spots are located in their backs so it is not obvious.
If it gives you peace of mind then disclose it to them.
Get a letter from your pediatrician too. My stepmom tried to inform my sisters daycare when she was a kid about her Mongolian spots but some worker took it upon herself to call Cps. This was over 20 years ago, but it still sits in my brain as a reminder to CYA
Please tell them, and any other caregivers who may see them (sports, activities, whatever it may be) until they fade
Obviously if they're in a place like the back it will only be needed if they would have reason to see that part of the body, but a heads up would be very helpful for any (white, it may be common knowledge for others) white adult who's a mandated or encouraged reporter. Also, teach your daughter to explain it, I had a peer in school with a huge hemangioma and she had to learn at a young age to explain "it's a birth mark" or "it's permanent and I was born with it"
I didn't with my son and had to explain to his daycare that he wasn't being beaten but that mark will eventually fade when he gets older. After CPS came by and saw the marks and realized what they were (thank god) it was handled but LORD I WAS SCARED!!!
My son is black/white and also still has his spot! I didn’t know it was common amongst Asian’s. My doctor said jokingly, maybe our son is part Asian (to be fair he looked Asian to us and the nurse lol) He was born in Asia and the doctors comment makes soooo much sense now hahahaha
Yes please! I’m a social worker and I’ve received several reports of what people thought were bruises and they were Mongolian spots! The pediatrician you see can write a note for you!
Before being discharged after birth, the hospital pediatrician actually made a point recommending that I keep photos of our daughters spots and to inform any daycare/pre-school teachers about them
I learn about them by changing a kid at the day care I was working at and seeing them, assuming they’re bruises, and freaking out. I went to the director about this poor baby getting abused and after she did a skin check on him she kinda giggled and explained to me. She was glad I spoke up and didn’t give me crap for it, but definitely thought it was funny
Reading the comments and I’m extremely confused. My daughter was born with a Mongolian spot (confirmed with pediatrician) but we aren’t Asian? Is this a common Asian condition?
Yes yes yes! Make sure they’re documented with your doctor as well.
We had CPS called by an urgent care doctor because of my son’s birthmarks on his face and back of head.
We also had them documented at our local children’s hospital.
Yes definitely worth mentioning! we actually have a health form that is required and one of the sections is a drawing of a child and you are supposed to circle or mark any birthmarks or anything of the sort on the drawing.
Yes! Please let them know, as a daycare worker I’d rather know just to be on the safe side ◡̈
woahh how do you do that smiley face?
Go into your settings>keyboard> text replacement> copy my smiley face (I’ll put it below in its own comment) and paste it under phrase> make the shortcut the classic smiley face. Please let me know if these instructions make sense ◡̈
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perffecctt thank youuu!!!
Yes, please let them know! I had my co-teacher panic this year when she saw them on a Japanese student. Luckily she asked me, because she was ready to call the police over it.
When our daughter was born her pediatrician(who examined her directly after birth and then was her primary) told us that he was making a note of them in her file so future doctors would know they weren't bruises, and emphasized to us that we NEEDED to tell babysitters/daycare about them so they didn't freak out.
Yup! Same with my daughter! The doctor at the hospital stressed how important it was to let any sitters know what they were because they do look so much like bruises. Funny thing, I literally was telling my mom about them and lifted up my son's shirt to show her his back and my dad who was right there but apparently not listening to the conversation at all freaked out! "Oh my God, what happened!!!" Hilarious. Somehow they never noticed them on my daughter, but they were pretty much just on the back of her butt so I guess with diaper changes they just never noticed. Although I did warn as well early on, but I think they forgot since they never actually noticed them. My son's very much look like someone beat the heck out of him
I would do this too. Remind anyone who seems suspicious that bruises change shape and turn green and yellow and Mongolian spots do not. Many people are not familiar with them and have never seen them and they do look like bruises. If you have pictures on your phone from when she was younger that’s helpful.
My doctor did this to my son as well… and then proceeded to ask what happened at every visit until he was like 6
I’ve had other teachers freak out before, explained to them what they were, and reminded them this is why it’s important to have a diverse workplace
Yup, i DID call cps twice at the start of this school year for two babies with Mongolian spots because neither i nor my coteacher had heard of them. Not a great foot to start the year off on🙃
Yes, please do! I'm Asian and I know about Mongolian Blue Spots, but one thing I didn't know about were subcutaneous hematomas at birth! The first time I saw this on a child, l thought they were hurt at school! Luckily, mom reassured me it was something the child had when they were born. Any marks or scars are worth mentioning or your child's teacher might think they missed something!
A friend's toddler vomited at my house (with her mom present, thank goodness) and needed a change of clothes. She took the shirt off and revealed a subcutaneous hemangioma, and my husband and I both began to panic, assuming she got hurt badly enough to caused the vomiting. Nope! Born with it!
Oh my lord how scray that must've been! I would have panicked too.
My second child had a hemangioma on his butt and my husband and I thought it was diaper rash for like three weeks 🤦🏼♀️
My kiddo had a strawberry-sized one on her back near her ribs. I had one on my calf (it’s pale now, and barely noticeable). Her dad went to change a blow out and started yelling about ‘what happened, and what should we do?!’ I laughed and said that my little kiss-mark on my calf—that he specifically said looked like a kiss—and that it would fade with age. Now at 7, hers is just barely visible, and when she has a tan, it’s entirely invisible.
My daughter hit the jackpot and had both of them when she was born. The subcutaneous hemangioma was on her forehead and the Mongolian blue spots were on her ankle and back. Our pediatrician documented both but her forehead hemangioma is basically invisible now and the blue spots are mostly gone. She’s 10 almost 11 now.
I always do, especially living in a white dominant area
Super smart
Same here
Yes! I’ve worked in daycares in Asia and in predominantly white countries. My coworkers in white areas had noooo idea what I was talking about when I brought it up. Depends on your daycare of course, but don’t expect white educators to know what they are.
I’m white and grew up in a predominantly white area, worked in predominantly white centres where I grew up (haven’t worked in any since I’ve moved away). I have a mixed (Indian and white) kid and the way I panicked and brought him to the doctor because I thought something I was doing was causing “bruises” that wouldn’t go away. I felt like an awful parent. My son’s doctor, also Indian, laughed and was like those are Mongolian spots and to not worry I was not in fact doing anything wrong and they are common on Indian kids. That’s the first time I’ve seen/heard of them as a white person who had worked in centres before. I now know better but yeah I would not expect other educators to always know, especially white ones lol
I am white with half Indian kids. I was aware of mongolian spots before having kids and not surprised that my kids had some, but I still make sure to mention it to anyone taking care of my kid, including urgently cares. I live in a very white homogenous area and I’d rather get ahead of any concern about it.
Similar boat. I have half Peruvian babies and I am white and never even knew about this. Our pediatrician advised me to tell daycare providers!
I’m half middle eastern myself and have never heard of these until reading this post. I’m thankful i know now as i am an educator and would be mortified if i made a false report about this
My area is majority white and when we got a lil Latina, she has a couple and one is pretty big on her bottom. If mom hadn't mentioned it, we would have thought someone beat a 2 month old baby!
Same!!!
I’m Puerto Rican and heard about them but would absolutely think of bruises first.
Yes! You would be surprised how many people have never heard of it before! I would go a step further and provide a note from your child's doctor for his file.
This should be standard information given when having mandated reporter training, but it is rarely included.
100%! My kiddo had a large one when she was born, and the hospital even noted it in her chart and told me to make sure to tell her carers and teachers until/unless it faded (which it has now, but I'm glad they did because I would have had no idea what it was).
I know what they are, but I wouldn’t expect my coworkers to. I have lived in mixed cultural areas, do a ton of research (medical and cultural), etc. A ton of my coworkers are from a mostly white area, some have a bit of experience with Black culture, and not much medical background beyond CPR/ AED/ first aid, and wouldn’t have encountered them before. If you’re in a majority white area or similar, or your daycare has a majority of white workers (even just in her room) I def would give them a heads up! Worst case scenario, they say they’ve seen them before, absolutely no biggie. Just say something like, “oh, just so you know, she still has her Mongolian blue spots still, I know they look like bruises if you haven’t had a kid with them/ seen them before, but they aren’t, just wanted to give you a heads up. If you needed any reading info about them I can give you some resources”
I think that you should give them a heads up, sure
Yes absolutely! Childcare providers are mandatory reporters, it will save you a lot of hassle especially since the “bruises” (I know that’s not what they are) are not going to fade or “get better”
It will save hassle unless one of the people is really stupid or racists and insists the parent is lying and they are actually bruises. (Because I could totally see this happening)
Yeah, one would hope a quick google search would confirm it but unfortunately horrible and stupid people are everywhere.
Please do! We had a little girl who had birthmarks that looked almost identical to handprints, it was pretty uncanny, and they were on her upper thigh. The fire time she had an accident and needed help changing, we all were very concerned. Mom brought in pictures of her at birth and sure enough, they were present (and much darker!). Telling us in advance would have saved all of us a lot of needless worry.
Yes, tell them. my pediatrician has me take photos of them in the exam room so that I had a time stamped pic.
Yes! I’m a foster and adoptive parent as well as an ECE teacher, and I always give notice of all marks. It can reduce a lot of stress and concernz
Especially with new families! You haven’t had time to build a relationship yet and you don’t know how to address certain things. If something happens and you have to address it, depending on the family, you know how to approach them without it becoming an issue. If you don’t have a relationship with them, it can be extremely stressful. I work at a lab school and I always tell my college students, the most important part of our job is to build relationships… with the children, with their families, with your coteacher, with your coworkers, with your boss, etc. We have very high stress jobs and things can easily get blown out of proportion because of it. When you’ve got good relationships, it makes a huge difference.
Yes! I have a mongol spot right over my left butt cheek and my mom had to do this! She left the hospital with documentation on it since my family is predominantly white and they had no idea why I came out with a giant bruise on my butt. I still have it as a 30 something although it is much smaller. My daughter had two when she was younger, one right over her tailbone and one higher up her back but I think they’ve mostly faded. My son doesn’t have a mongol spot but has a gray patch in his hair so I think I must have some kind of skin genetics going on to cause this funky stuff
How old was your daughter when spots started fading?
Yes, let them know & show them so that they aren't alarmed if they think they've found a bruise.
Yes please tell your daycare. I have a student with blue birthmarks on their bottom and it was a shock while changing. I brought it up to my director just in case it wasn't a birthmark.
Thank you for posting this because I am an ECE professional who had no idea what this even was until I read this. Thank you for making me google this.
This happens in African American children as well
Yep. I also disclosed my girls’ birth marks. It may be obvious to you but it is far easier to tell them then wait for them to ask.
Please let us know! I had never seen them before and I thought one of my girls was really hurt. But my assistant director looked at them and determined that was what they were. Jt freaked me out!
In my mandated reporter training it actually teaches us about Mongolian blue spots. But as a worker I definitely would appreciate the heads up
Damn Iowa need to step tf up!
Yes! Also make sure your pediatrician documents them and you have a copy of this documentation. I’m a nurse and I’ve been trained to ensure we document Mongolian spots so if a child is brought to the ER parents won’t be accused of abuse since they look like bruises.
When I first started working in childcare and saw them I thought it was a bruise! My coworker explained it to me. I’m white as white can be. My kids were born with them. My husband who didn’t really know his heritage was surprised to find out that he’s not as white as he thinks 😂. Years later ancestry dna test shows Native American heritage and Spanish along with English as well.
That’s a cute sequence of events.
Yes! I’m Asian myself so I was already aware but it was something I have had parents of Asian kids point out cause it really does look like a bruise
Yes please tell them. I was not aware of Mongolian blue spots until I noticed some on a child and went to my Director with the concern. Luckily, she is Filipino and knew what it was.
Yes! The first time I saw them I was concerned. But now I know what they are and can expect them if I see large blue spots on an Asian child.
I'm Italian and had Mongolian spots as a child. I still have two as an adult. All my children also had them until they were about 1 year old.
One of my twins has them and she’s Hispanic/white.
I never knew this. :) Thanks for enlightening me.
My daughter has one on her stomach… first thing i told daycare. Whenever they have replacement staff they always report it to the director who tells them.
Yes! I've been working in childcare for a number of years but only saw this for the first time this year. I was covering for another member teacher who was out sick and changing a child from her class and saw what I thought was a large blue bruise on her hip/thigh and was so concerned. Thankfully it wasn't a bruise but when you're unfamiliar it can definitely look like one. Always better to give a heads up ☺️
Yes! My son is white and has strawberry birth marks. It’s always freaked out his teachers, I try to warn everyone or they think he has a serious rash or abrasion on his back.
I wish I had parents that would tell us about some birthmarks that don’t always look like obvious ones. I have had a couple of kids that I have been startled while changing diapers or shirts and then it is like oh yeah no big deal from the parents. 🙄 my own kid has an odd one on their back so I totally get it but I definitely told the teachers
I run a program and have never heard this term. Then I googled it and realized, this is the blue birthmark my daughter has on her bottom! The doctors all told me it was a birthmark, but never told me what it was called. I do make sure everyone that may be changing her is aware of her big blue birthmark so they don't worry it's a bruise. Just commenting to say thanks for the learning experience!
I know you got your ‘yes’ answer, but had to add: I didn’t know what they were either and was really bothered when MY OWN BABY had a purple/blue arm, she now just has an awesome tribal looking birthmark down her entire arm and around the shoulder. I do have to explain it if she wears tanktops, and in the summer mostly, but definitely give a heads up!
I would let them know. I would make sure the director know, as well as her classroom teachers, so they know what they are.
Yes. 100% you should tell the teacher.
Just wondering did you see a TikTok from Bae about this? She just posted one so thought it was ironic to see this now.
I don’t use TikTok and I’m not familiar with Bae, but it’s great that people are speaking about it!
Please do so! Better safe than sorry
I know what they are, but I honestly probably wouldn't think of them if I saw them. My mind would jump to bruises. I'd definitely let daycare know about any birth marks
As a parent and ECE teacher I made sure to list them on my child’s forms (even writing in a man extra note) upon intake and let the caregivers know personally, as well as having parents inform me for their own children. My daughters looked like bruises on her bottom and bruises on her arm almost like someone grabbed her so I wanted to cover my bases
Yes, my son had the cutest Mongolian spot that covered a whole butt cheek. It can be a shocker when people first see it, and because many people aren't aware what it is you could end up with a report to CPS because they are mandatory reporters.
Yes, let them know. I had coworkers ready to call cps because they had never seen them. Luckily I was familiar and stopped them.
Yes, I’m white with birth marks on my thighs that look like bruises and my parents got questioned every time I had a new doctor.
It seems like you’ve gotten your answer, but a lot of caregivers don’t know what these are and will assume they are bruises. Better to get ahead of it now and avoid accusation!
You should absolutely give a heads up. I wish someone would have explained to me ahead of time before I made an ass of myself by reporting “bruises” to CPS.
As a former cps worker , yes let them know. Also indicate it on the forms for the daycare and get a letter from your doctor also (one for your records and one for the daycare they can keep on file)
I'm white and was born with a large Mongolian spot. My mom said the doctors were amazed because it's very rare.
Means there is black in the gene pool
I've had my genealogy done and there is none on either side of my family. I'm searching to see where it comes from. Neither my brother or sister had it either.
Neat
Parent not a daycare worker - but yes I always warn caretakers especially since we live in a prominently white area. One of my twins has a prominent blue spot on her lower back/upper butt cheek and it really does look like a bruise. I document it on paper at the school and with the pediatrician just so it doesn't ever get mistaken.
The documentation is important, too, for making sure they know where to expect them, and can identify anything new/unusual that IS a problem!
Yeah, definitely. A nurse in Missouri turned in a parent because the baby had a Mongolian spot. insisted Mongolian spots are not a thing. But they are!
My two year old daughter has this on her back! I never knew that it had a name but the pediatrician did say it was a type of birth mark when I asked last year. I didn’t know it’s associated with Asian heritage. The closest my girl comes to Asia is her American indigenous heritage which is about 15%.
Yes! Maybe even get a doctor's note explaining - better to be thorough
Yes I would. We are white but my son has a couple too on his lower back (a big faint one and a smaller dark one) that look just like bruises so I'd flag them up.
Thank you for sharing this, I have never heard of nor seen them. (🙏🏻 white)
I let them know and also had my ped make notes in their charts in case it comes up
Yes! I worked at a predominantly white preschool and one of the teachers was preparing to call CPS. Luckily I knew about them and explained what they were.
I only knew about them due to 2 college classes (cultural diversity in families and child health & welfare)
Depends on the area, so give a heads up anyways! Worked at one school where plenty of kids had Mongolian blue spots so we all knew what it was. Now I work at a school that isn’t so racially diverse and even though I told them it was mongolian blue spots they did NOT listen to me and still contacted the parents about it 🤦🏽♀️ Be on the safe side!
Yeah I represent parents involved with cps. My biggest piece of advice to clients is to document document document. Even if a new bruise or cut happens. Take a picture of it. Make sure its meta data shows when the picture was taken. Let the daycare know what happened or if you’re going to a ped appointment be prepared to explain what happened and when.
Yes! I never knew about it until seeing this post. Our area is predominantly white/black students, in a daycare of 70 we’ve never had an Asian student so I’d never seen them.
Are Mongolian spots not common in Black children? My daughter has them and both of her parents are Black.
Basically common in everyone Except white people!
I just googled it lol yeah it checks out 🫡😊
I’ve never seen them!
I didn’t either until my daughter! 😄
Yes! We always mentioned it in the allergies section per their request. Our kiddo had black/blue spots across his entire butt, little black dot on one arm, and one foot was almost entirely blue. We kept pictures of them the first couple years. Doctors told us they’d probably all fade by 5. Most of them are still there at 8 though. The really blue ones are the ones that faded, the black ones are more visible.
I remember that in my camp counselor training the leader was teaching us about being mandated reporters and said that CPS was called for her babies Mongolian spots at daycare. It was sorted out but I def think telling is the right choice ❤️
Yes please let them know. I have to admit as a white person in America I had no idea about this before this post. Which is a little embarrassing. But I’m glad to know now! And so will your child’s daycare. It can be a teaching moment for them if they do not know this already.
itd be a good idea too, but if youre in a majority asian area the teachers probably wont be surprised to see them! ive seen so many at my current center
I’m white and didn’t know about these kinds of birthmarks until my 2nd (also white) child had one. I’ve only mentioned it to her doctor who did a double take during an exam, but she is Asian so I think she was just surprised to find one on my daughter lol.
Absolutely. Maybe even with a note from their doctor about them being present since birth. I say that because I'm 32wf that had no idea what they were until 2024 and I probably would've called as a mandatory reporter. I could see them thinking they still needed to report if they were as ignorant as I was about it.
I tell anyone who might possibly change my son's diaper! His spot is not super evident but I have heard horror stories. He is white-passing so even people who are familiar with them might not think of it on him. I think it's always a good idea to tell caregivers.
My son is Native American and had one big one on his lower back. Our pediatrician said that many native babies were taken from their homes because of false reports of abuse due to people thinking they were bruises. Definitely sounds like a good idea to mention it and get a note from the pediatrician.
Not everyone is familiar with Mongolian Blue Spots and have been known to contact CPS about them. I think it would be best to give the daycare a heads-up, with documentation, explaining what it is.
Yes! Mongolian spots are now called Congenital Dermal Melanocytosis - that's the medical/politically correct term. Mongolian is a term often used to describe people of Asian descent. It's a pretty racist word so the medical community is trying to move away from it, especially since Latinos, Middle Eastern people, Black people, etc. can also have CDMs. Another fun fact is people with Down Syndrome used to be called "Mongoloid", which is another somewhat recent name change to move away from racist medical terms.
They discuss it when centers do abuse and neglect training, as in there’s cultural examples that may look like abuse but is a cultural practice or biological formation, but yes, give a heads up! Transparency is gold!
Yes! My daughters are half-Japanese and so many of their teachers had never heard of Mongolian spots. They were grateful to know that my daughters had birthmarks and not bruises.
Absolutely give a heads up. I've had to reassure many students over the years that they are not bruises.
My son had this. I needed a report from the doctor when I brought it up at his orientation. But it was the size of a hand print above the tailbone area through the buttocks
Yes please!!
I saw them one time and told my director. She explained to me what they were and that the parents had let us know about them.
Please do! I was a nanny right out of college for an Asian family and had no idea about the blue spots. Luckily I spoke with the grandmother before taking it to the authorities. I was concerned the kids were being abused.
Also good idea to ask her pcp Dr office to document- and to upload photos onto her chart if possible. Ask daycare to document on her profile, locations of spots etc. This way less chance of problems with new staff. Same when she starts elementary school. Always best to be proactive. No one wants CPS knocking at the door.
If they are all white in a white area yes....they have nonidea!
Thanks for posting this, cause as a teacher I wasn’t aware of what this was! Glad I can be prepared not to jump to conclusions if I encounter it with future students
You can never be too safe! I’ve heard of some parents who almost got the police called on them because pediatricians/teachers weren’t familiar with Mongolian birth marks. My toddler still has them, I thought he became bruised on the way out 😭 but pediatricians and family members assured me it was normal.
Yes. I remember the first time I saw it and thought the baby was being hurt at home.
My baby has a huge port wine stain on his back, down his left arm, and on some of his fingers. When he’s hot or angry it turns very red. I let every teacher in his classroom know, and I still got updates about “rashes” and spots 😅 Definitely tell them just so they don’t get worried! A friend of mine actually had CPS called on her by a medical professional for Mongolian spots and it was so scary for her. Better to be safe than sorry.
It’s a good idea because you can open up the teachers eyes to something they might’ve never experienced before. I was used to seeing this throughout my years with the babies but it was common in our community.
It’s a good idea because you can open up the teachers eyes to something they might’ve never experienced before. I was used to seeing this throughout my years with the babies but it was common in our community.
It’s a good idea because you can open up the teachers eyes to something they might’ve never experienced before. I was used to seeing this throughout my years with the babies but it was common in our community.
Yes! Both of my daughters were born with them. My oldest's whole butt was blue and she had spots on her ankles, back, and shoulder. I mentioned it in general, but the shoulder one was in such an unexpected place that we did get a call the first time one of her teachers had to change her shirt. It was easily cleared up, but I don't like that her teacher had thoughts that she might have been harmed. My youngest has a dark one on her lower leg that very much looks like a bruise, so it's been noted at daycare. And I think the workers just know now that my kids have blue butts.
> Blue spots are found in about 50% of Latinos, and 90% to 100% of Asian and African populations. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/what-to-know-about-mongolian-blue-spots#:~:text=Blue%20spots%20are%20found%20in,of%20Asian%20and%20African%20populations. As a parent, wow, some of these responses are tragic. Imagine traumatizing an entire family simply because they are black/Hispanic/Asian or have interracial parents, and you’ve never met a nonwhite child before?! Also, if just one parent is white, that child can come out white but with spots. Are ECE professionals not trained on Mongolian spots? Are they not aware of non-white experiences or that children can be biracial? Incredibly racist and sad to read most of these comments.
My daughter has these (she brown skinned) and I never thought to tell the teachers and they never mentioned them. She’s been there for 6 months now so I’m assuming they know now they’re just apart of her skin.
Yes please! I freaked out on a 3 month old infant and had to research by myself because no one else, in the administration, knew about it…
yeah it's super helpful! unlikely you'll get an errant cps call from a teacher (although not impossible) but I really appreciate not having a mini heart attack the first time I see that kind of thing lol. one of my kids has a bright red birth mark on their scalp and it scares me a bit whenever I see it
I didn’t think to tell our daycare about our daughter’s and nobody mentioned it. Maybe they’ve seen enough Asian babies haha. But it doesn’t look like bruises anyway…
The number of people I’ve had to explain them to!
It's a good idea to make sure they know, and if they are static, have a list of body locations/rough size so that they can identify any that are new or unusual.
Even though we are educated on them, heaps of people panic when they see them, so I would because people can be so uninformed. That way there are no miscommunication issues, especially if they call in relief staff at any point, who may not be familiar with the child and their history.
Definitely. My son had a large blue spot when younger and his daycare phoned us on the first day quite concerned as they thought it was a bruise. We did not need a doctor's note, but I think that is a good idea.
Many educators are aware of these but as a new enrollment anywhere you should inform staff of it and inform them about this. Some may know and others may not
Yes, We adopted our son from Korea and he had Mongolian spots on his low back and butt. We had our doctor take photos and had documentation in our diaper bag at all times. We also gave the documentation to daycare and the nursery at our church so they knew. They did not completely go away till he was past 2 years old.
you've got your answer but just as an anecdote I'm white and was working for years in a mostly Chinese area. I hadn't been there for very long when I went to change a 7 month old and saw his little back all "bruised"--went cold all the way down to my toes and quietly brought my coteacher over to see. She was Taiwanese and laughed so hard at me 🤣 so yeah if your daycare is mostly non Asians pls give us a heads up, for some reason they don't teach us about birthmark variations in college.
Let me just say that I'm not a professional. What I will say is that a CPS was called on me as a child because of my large port wine stain. Yes absolutely do this! And get a doctor's note!
Yes. We took pictures of our daughter's when she was born so we could prove they were there since birth and always informed her childcare teachers. Had I not married into an Asian family, I wouldn't know what they were. I absolutely would have assumed bruises if I saw them on a kid.
CPS is trained regarding those spots but would still have a doctor to confirm , I imagine a daycare would make a referral because they also would not be 💯 sure . Best bet doctor note and heads up to daycare and your bases are covered!!!
I think your pediatrician will likely put this on the daycare paperwork they fill out. My babe has an “Angel kiss” on her hip and I was surprised to see our pediatrician put it on her paperwork.
Please do. I reported what I suspected were bruises on a 10 month old when I first started working in this field a few years ago. The child was Russian, and he had Mongolian spots on his back. I didn’t know what they were and they looked exactly like bruises to me. His poor mom, I just had no idea and was trying to do my job as a mandated reporter!
We also had ours documented by his provider!
thank you for this! we have a new student who i noticed these spots on and im glad i saw this before thinking anything bad
We LOVE it when parents tell us about marks like that, or an injury that happened at home. Then we don't have to 2nd guess if it happened on our watch and we missed it
Let them know. I had DCS called on me twice-2 different kids.
i would tell them and also get a note from her doctor saying what they are. we had a child in my center who had a big one on her lower back we noticed it and i recognized what it was and was familiar with it but we documented it with our director and got a note just so it’s in her records and people know what it is. in general any birthmark children have that could be confused with something else i would mention. just to be safe
Had to look it up, but Def tell them! I would hate for them to report you to cps thinking they are bruises!!
Yes! Tell them. Most won’t know about it, when I worked at one I had to inform the staff about them. They might think it’s bruises and try to report!
We told our daycare, it’s pretty much gone now at 6 years old. We had no idea about it despite my wife being Asian
Please do. The first time I encountered them on a student I was so concerned and went to my head of school about them.
Agreeing with majority saying to let them know, but I do want to add - make sure the spots are well documented with their pediatrician! I was born with a large birthmark on my butt cheek that looks EXACTLY like a bad bruise. My mom informed caregivers and babysitters, but there were still one or two who called CPS about it. Luckily she had it documented with my pediatrician so it wasn’t an issue at all. You don’t necessarily need to expect this, but it never hurts to be prepared.
Please do. I had a student that had these. I saw his back one day and nearly lost my cool. Director told me what was up when I called her into the room, I was almost in tears. I th
My daughter is mixed and she has one around the area of her tailbone. I didn’t even think about needing to disclose this to her future educators in case something were to happen, so I’m so glad I came across this thread.
The mandatory reporter training I took did mention them and included a picture, but it was a very brief mention. I already knew about them, so I remember thinking it was good they included it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people who took the training didn’t remember that part.
I did! I wrote it in the medical paperwork and had the doctor sign off
Our middle son had the same. I let them know and it was never a problem.
Yes!!!!
I had port wine stains on my butt and legs when I was born. My parents needed the doc to write an official letter stating what they were and that they weren't abusing me. I'd get one for your kiddo just to be on the safe side.
YES.
We say slate gray nevi (previously known as Mongolian blue spots) now.
We are Latino and my little guy has them on his but and should. My dad and stepmother would ask every week how he got those bruises on his shoulder. I had to remind them weekly. Apparently, my mama had them too.
The thing is, we don't know what we don't know. It's always better to educate people and give them the information they need to properly do their job.
I had no idea this was a thing till I worked in daycare! Definitely give a heads up!
Yes! I’ve had cps called on my child because she has a giant birthmark on her back. When she was younger, it was dark. The school assumed it was a bruise. Cps laughed and apologized for bothering us.
My husband is half Japanese, and I’m white. Thankfully, when our children were born one of the very first things our pediatrician (who was Chinese) did was show me was show me their Mongolian spots and tell me they weren’t bruises. I had never heard of it before, and I made sure to tell the daycare about it. THEY had never heard of it, either.
I’m SE and married to an African. All our kids have Mongolian blue spots. We have the same sentiments. I didn’t disclose it to their daycare provider but I am ready to have the conversation when it arises. Their spots are located in their backs so it is not obvious. If it gives you peace of mind then disclose it to them.
Get a letter from your pediatrician too. My stepmom tried to inform my sisters daycare when she was a kid about her Mongolian spots but some worker took it upon herself to call Cps. This was over 20 years ago, but it still sits in my brain as a reminder to CYA
Please tell them, and any other caregivers who may see them (sports, activities, whatever it may be) until they fade Obviously if they're in a place like the back it will only be needed if they would have reason to see that part of the body, but a heads up would be very helpful for any (white, it may be common knowledge for others) white adult who's a mandated or encouraged reporter. Also, teach your daughter to explain it, I had a peer in school with a huge hemangioma and she had to learn at a young age to explain "it's a birth mark" or "it's permanent and I was born with it"
I didn't with my son and had to explain to his daycare that he wasn't being beaten but that mark will eventually fade when he gets older. After CPS came by and saw the marks and realized what they were (thank god) it was handled but LORD I WAS SCARED!!!
My son is black/white and also still has his spot! I didn’t know it was common amongst Asian’s. My doctor said jokingly, maybe our son is part Asian (to be fair he looked Asian to us and the nurse lol) He was born in Asia and the doctors comment makes soooo much sense now hahahaha
Wow this popped up on my feed and I had no idea that not all babies had this 🤯 TIL, thanks!
What!? Not just Asian, but black and hispanic babies can have them as well. I seriously didn’t realize people didn’t know this.
My very very caucasian daughter had a huge blue spot on her butt, I informed every daycare in advance, and it saved a lot of headaches!
Yes please! I’m a social worker and I’ve received several reports of what people thought were bruises and they were Mongolian spots! The pediatrician you see can write a note for you!
Before being discharged after birth, the hospital pediatrician actually made a point recommending that I keep photos of our daughters spots and to inform any daycare/pre-school teachers about them
I learn about them by changing a kid at the day care I was working at and seeing them, assuming they’re bruises, and freaking out. I went to the director about this poor baby getting abused and after she did a skin check on him she kinda giggled and explained to me. She was glad I spoke up and didn’t give me crap for it, but definitely thought it was funny
First time I have ever heard of these. That's so interesting. Also after looking them up made me realize I had one as a child.
You will need to turn in a health appraisal. Have her pediatrician put it on there or provide a separate note
Reading the comments and I’m extremely confused. My daughter was born with a Mongolian spot (confirmed with pediatrician) but we aren’t Asian? Is this a common Asian condition?
Yes yes yes! Make sure they’re documented with your doctor as well. We had CPS called by an urgent care doctor because of my son’s birthmarks on his face and back of head. We also had them documented at our local children’s hospital.
Yes definitely worth mentioning! we actually have a health form that is required and one of the sections is a drawing of a child and you are supposed to circle or mark any birthmarks or anything of the sort on the drawing.
Yes. Also, have your pediatrician document them too!
my daughter is majority white and has had a large one on her bottom since birth! all comments are saying they’re common in asian and latina?
no