Caleb's mum 'torn apart'

Caleb Skinner

With one child in hospital recovering from serious head injuries and another son "fretting and acting up", Joanne Smith feels like she is being torn apart.

Her son Caleb Skinner (pictured), 2, was flown to Starship Hospital two weeks ago in an induced coma fighting for his life after he was allegedly assaulted by a friend of his mother while she worked.

Ms Smith and ex-partner Daryll Skinner have been at the boy's bedside since and on Wednesday they all moved to the North Shore's Wilson Rehabilitation Residential Centre where the toddler is undergoing physiotherapy and his parents learn how to cope with him living with head injuries.

Meanwhile, Caleb's 10-year-old brother, staying with Ms Smith's sister, was acting out and had been suspended from school for hitting his teacher, Ms Smith told the Times-Age through tears.

"I've been crying a lot. I'm not feeling that great at all. My boy is fretting for me and acting up because he doesn't understand. I wish I could be there but Caleb needs us right now. We need to be with Caleb. We could have lost him. We feel so lucky to still have him. I just feel stuck; I can't be in both places at once," she said.

It's one step forward and two steps backwards some days with Caleb.

They aren't yet sure how long he will need to be at the rehabilitation centre. His parents are being taught how to deal with the effects of Caleb's head injuries while he undergoes speech therapy and physiotherapy.

"He's doing all right but he is having real bad mood swings. They say it's part of the brain damage. He isn't eating much and has food through a feeding tube four times a day. It's just part of the brain damage they say ... Caleb goes to physio every day and he is talking heaps but gets very tired easily. He talks a lot and plays a lot ... they just want to keep an eye on him and help get his mood swings under control."

The toddler was slowly remembering things but doctors said he probably wouldn't ever remember what happened the evening he was revived by paramedics on the living room floor of the George St house the family lived in, Ms Smith said.

"They say he will forget all of it. I'm pleased he won't remember."

Both parents were humbled to hear a street appeal was under way to help them. Ms Smith has resigned from her job so she can be a full-time mum when Caleb returns to Masterton and Mr Skinner has been surviving without wages since his holiday pay ran out more than a week ago.

"It makes you feel so good that people are wanting to help us. We have a long road ahead of us," Ms Smith said.