Mending Scrapes and Bruises
One thing is certain—as a parent, you will come face to face with your child’s accidents throughout his growing years. It’s simply part of the job description for “parenthood.” The best thing you can do as a parent is to be prepared. A local First Aid and CPR class is always recommended so you can handle serious emergencies. Yet, most of the time, you can mend simple scrapes, bumps and bruises with over-the-counter medicine or at-home treatments. Here is a list of common first-aid needs, symptoms and recommended home treatments. Remember, when in doubt, please contact your Kids Health First pediatrician. In case of a serious emergency, always call 911.
Bee Sting
1. Remove any stingers immediately with a pair of tweezers. The longer stingers remain in your child’s body, the more severe the reaction will be.
2. If your child is allergic to bees, use his epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen®). If you do not have your child’s EpiPen, call 911 immediately! Do not wait for symptoms to appear.
Bleeding
1. The first step to control bleeding is to put pressure on the wound. Blood needs to clot to start the healing process and stop the bleeding.
2. Put pressure directly on the wound. Gauze pads can work well to hold the blood. If you don't have gauze, terrycloth towels work almost as well.
3. If the gauze or towel soaks through with blood, add another layer. Never take away the gauze completely, just add layers.
Broken Bones
1. If the foot or hand is cold or blue, call 911 immediately!
2. Do not straighten the arm or leg if it is deformed. Keep it in the position found.
3. Stabilize the arm or leg. Use padding to keep it immobile.
4. See a doctor or go to the emergency department for an X-ray.
Bug Bites
1. Apply an ice pack to the site of the sting. Alternate on and off for 20 minutes. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are good for pain relief. If the site is tingling or burning, see a doctor.
2. Try to identify the bug. If you take your child to the hospital and the bug is dead, scoop it up and take it with you to the emergency department. Be careful, even dead bugs have venom.
Burns
1. Cool the burned area with cool running water for several minutes. Look for blistering, sloughing, or charred (blackened) skin. Blistering or sloughing (skin coming off) means the top layer of skin is completely damaged.
2. If the damaged area is bigger than one entire arm or the whole abdomen, call 911 or take your child to the emergency department immediately.
3. If an ambulance is coming, continue running water over the burned area until the ambulance arrives.
Cuts
1. Control bleeding by putting pressure directly on the cut. Hold it above the level of the heart for 15 minutes to stop bleeding.
2. Wash the cut with warm water and mild soap. If bleeding starts again, repeat step one.
3. For smaller cuts that do not require stitches, use antiseptic ointment. Cover the cut with sterile gauze and tape in place.
Eye Injury
1. Keep the eyes open at all times and flush with water.
2. Always flush both eyes to avoid washing the object to the unaffected eye. If using a sink faucet, hold your child’s head so that the affected eye is lower than the unaffected eye.
3. Flush both eyes for at least 20 minutes. If there is still irritation or vision loss after flushing the eyes, see a doctor.
Head Injury
1. In all cases of injury to the head and neck, it's vital not to move your child’s neck. Support his head in the position you found it.
2. Bones of the spine can be injured from movement of the head during trauma. Broken or displaced spinal bones can cut or put pressure on the nerves of the spinal cord, causing temporary or permanent paralysis and loss of feeling.
3. It is a myth that after a head injury, your child should not be allowed to sleep. Once asleep, wake him about 30 minutes after falling asleep to make sure he can be aroused. If you are unable to wake him 30 minutes after falling asleep, call 911 immediately.
Nosebleed
1. Lean forward, not back. If your child leans back, blood could get in the windpipe causing a blocked airway, or go into the stomach.
2. Pinch his nose just below the bony bridge. Your fingers should be on the soft tissue as well as the bone. If there is still blood flowing, adjust your grip. There should not be visible bleeding while you are holding the nose. Blood vessels that supply the nasal membrane can be pinched against the bony bridge (the hard part) to slow blood flow and create a clot. Hold the nose for at least five minutes. Do not let go to check bleeding until the five minutes is up.
3. After five minutes, release the pressure to see if the bleeding has stopped. If not, repeat for 10 minutes this time. Remember: don't let go to check bleeding until the 10 minutes is up. Repeat for another 10 minutes if necessary.
Splinter Removal
1. Clean a needle and a pair of tweezers with iodine solution. Do not use alcohol unless that's all you have available.
2. Use the needle to open up the skin above the splinter enough to grab the splinter with the tweezers and remove it. Grasp the end of the splinter with the tweezers and back it out of the skin.
3. Wash the wound with warm water and soap. The iodine solution also works as an excellent skin cleanser in this situation.
Sunburn
1. Get your child out of the sun. Look for blisters.
2. Blistering means the skin is completely damaged and complications are likely.
3. Apply aloe or another cooling agent to his skin. Give your child a cool bath to soothe the pain.