Cuts, Burns & Wounds First Aid for Kids

Each child has a period in life when it is practically impossible to avoid injuries. Scratches, bruises, cuts, and burns – not a single child is safe from these troubles. It all begins when a child learns to walk, and the older and more curious he/she becomes, the more serious the injury might be. Let us conduct the first aid lesson for parents.

Bruises and scratches

So, the problems begin when the baby no longer crawls, but gets up and makes the first steps. However, it often falls and hits all sorts of objects. Despite the fact that parents do their best to protect the baby, hiding objects with sharp corners and smoothing the surface of the floor – the child still manages to get injured.

With age, the child becomes more active, which entails more frequent and severe bruises. They are characterized by pain and swelling, and scratches and wounds are often observed at the site of injuries. The first aid in case of injuries is to put some ice. If the skin is damaged, you should use hydrogen peroxide or furacilin solution (any antiseptic, in fact) and then bactericidal ointment. For children, it is better to choose a more delicate, but effective external agent. Ointments should provide antimicrobial and antibacterial action, not allowing bacteria to multiply in the wound. This guarantees rapid healing.

Burns

Unfortunately, despite the parents’ ban to play with fire, many children make fire by themselves, play with charred sticks and can get burns when grabbing the iron or touching the gas oven. If the child has got a thermal burn, you must act as follows:

• If the area of ​​injury is under the clothes, the clothing should be carefully removed with scissors, though it cannot be separated from the damaged skin.
• If the burns are superficial (this means redness and bubbles on the skin), one must use an ice pack or place the damaged area under a stream of cold water.
• If the skin is covered with a dark red or brown crust – it means that the burns are deep. This site cannot be wetted; one should make a clean and dry bandage and call an ambulance.
• It is desirable that one should use an antibacterial ointment on the basis of silver ions in case of burns. It prevents pathogenic microorganisms from penetrating the body tissues (they can cause inflammation or suppuration) and promotes faster healing.
• If necessary, the child can be given an anesthetic medication.

Preventing injuries in children

Remember: the task of parents is not only to respond quickly to the problem, but also to do everything to avoid it. So nurture a sense of self-preservation in your children and tell them as early as possible about the troubles and dangers they may face at home and on the street.