First Aid Tips for Common Kid Injuries

First Aid Tips for Common Kid Injuries

A quick guide on how to take care of your young ones in the event of an injury.

Image of a kid playing or crying

Kids are naturally curious. Because of their innate wonder at the world around them, they tend to engage in tiny adventures that could often end up unwell. Everything, from something as plain as a paper to building blocks to balls, can turn up messy when curiosity gets the better of these kids.

A lot of things can happen in the few short seconds that you turned your back or checked something in the kitchen. Even if the injuries are not serious, it is important to keep your calm and maintain the presence of mind. While it may not be something concerning, the experience can be especially traumatic for your child.

Once you have established a clear point of view of the situation, it is time to apply first-aid care.

Cuts, scrapes, and bruises

Running around and tumbling down on their tiny legs are easily the most common causes of scrapes and bruises. When bleeding occurs, put a clean cloth over the area and apply firm pressure until the bleeding stops. Next, clean the affected area using lukewarm running water and soap, and pat it dry.

If the damage to the skin is deep, applying a layer of antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin helps. Protect the cut by covering it with a bandage or gauze.

It is crucial to act fast. This is to ensure that infections are prevented in the first place.

If the bleeding still pursues, call the emergency hotline or your family doctor.

Animal bites and scratches

If you have a pet in the house, playful fun can sometimes lead to unexpected accidents.

For animal scratches, clean the site of the wound with running water and lather with soap. If there are deep cuts caused by animal bites, head to the emergency room immediately.

Insect bites and stings

Kids are especially prone to insect bites. In fact, insect bites are considered the third leading accident among 4-year-olds and under.

If a stinger is left on the site of the bite, slowly remove it by scraping the skin with a fingernail and be careful not to break the stinger. Contrary to popular belief, using tweezers must be refrained as this could squeeze out more venom from the stinger and aggravate the situation.

Make sure to also watch out for other things such as when your child starts coughing, has difficulty breathing, develops hives, and gets swollen tongue and lips. These are severe allergic reactions relative to poisoning and must be given immediate medical attention or you can call private ambulance immediately.

As a form of follow-up treatment on the insect bites, apply calamine lotion on the affected area to soothe the itching.

Nosebleeds

Nosebleeds are extremely common to children, and happen generally due to dry climates. However, there are other causes such nose injuries sustained as well as incessant scratching or picking that leads to irritation.

Have your child in an upright sitting position. Be careful not to tilt their head back-- a common mistake usually done by most parents. Loosen the clothing around the neck for a comfortable position. Pinch the lower part of the nose while making the child lean forward a bit. Continue pinching for about 5 to 10 minutes. If the bleeding persists for more than 15 minutes.

In the case of trauma nosebleeds, using an ice pack on the affected area helps minimize the swelling. If the bleeding persists for more than 15 minutes or happens again at a later time, call the doctor or head to the nearest emergency room.

Chipped tooth

Chipping a tooth is a little bit tricky to handle, depending on the degree of chipping. A chipped tooth may have exposed nerves, so it is crucial to keep the area covered. If possible, put the knocked-out tooth in its socket and keep it in place by having the child bite a clean cloth.

Eye ouches and trauma

Because kids tend to play messy as much as they can without washing their hands, eye ouches are not so uncommon. Eye ouches can range from simple eye gunk and the usual itchy eye to the more serious eye trauma and diseases like eye pokes and pink-eye.

Eye gunk can be rid of by using a wet cloth. An itchy eye can be relieved by rinsing the eyes with warm water. Doing so induces tears which help in reducing the itchiness. It is also a good preventive measure to wash the face, especially the eyelids, regularly. Washing the hair at night is also a good practice to eliminate pollen that get collected.

For eye pokes, apply a clean cold compress on the affected eye and hold it in place for at least 5 minutes. If the pain persists, and your child experiences difficulty blinking, expert medical opinion is needed as well as an eye exam to determine a diagnosis.

Splinters and glass

Splinters can be hard to deal with due to the size of these things. The throbbing pain associated with it also makes matters worse. Working on it requires patience.

Wash the area around the splinter using soap and water. Take a pair of tweezers and disinfect it with rubbing alcohol. Using the tweezers, gently pull out the splinter. Most splinters are stubborn so if you are having difficulty removing the splinter, you can wait it out overnight and try again the next day.

Glass shards can get serious if not removed earlier as these could cause infections. If the shards are too tiny to remove or in a delicate situation, wrap the affected area with clean cloth and take the kid to the hospital.

Burns

Run the affected area under cool water and place a cold towel over it. This helps reduce the pain. If the burns are more than a quarter inch in size and happened on the face, hands, private parts, or other sensitive areas, seek medical attention immediately. Severe burns that cover at least a tenth of the body should be covered with a clean blanket. This helps in preventing massive body temperature drop which could trigger more problems. Take the kid to the emergency department as soon as possible.

Head injuries

Head injuries like bumps happen to children more often than anticipated. In certain cases, however, it can have more adverse effects like concussion. Check out for signs of brief fainting, headaches, and vomiting.

Seek medical advice right away if these signs have been noticed from your child.

Broken bones

Broken bones don’t always stick out, so you have to keep a watchful eye on signs pertaining to it. The most common sign of a broken bone is swelling on the injured site. If your child experiences too much pain, light-headedness, and is nauseous, it is likely that the bone is broken.

Ensure that the kid is in a comfortable position. Be careful not to touch the affected area as this could make matters worse. Head to the nearest emergency room, especially if the bone is sticking out.

Choking

Daily mundane activities such as eating and playing can turn differently for your kid. See if they repeatedly hold their throats or are having difficulty breathing. If this is the case, they may be choking.

First thing to do is to check if their airway is blocked. You can do this by talking to your child. If they can provide answers even in the form of simple sounds and hums, then the airway is not obstructed.

If your child has trouble responding, call the emergency services immediately as they instruct you how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Do not panic in the event of choking. It is crucial that you remain calm to stay on top of things. Avoid shoving your fingers down your child’s throat as this could push the blocking article further down the pharynx and amplify the case of choking.

If they can talk and have started coughing incessantly, let them cough so that they could dislodge the article.

Poisoning

If your child has been experiencing burning sensations on the mouth, vomiting, and has trouble breathing, this is likely an effect of poisoning.

Unfortunately, first aid treatment for poison intake depends on the kind of poison that your child has ingested. If you are not aware of what your child has taken in, it is best to bring them to the nearest hospital so that immediate medical care can be provided to your kid and prevent further damage.

With any first-aid treatment for kids, it is critical that you keep calm. It is also imperative that you distract the kid from the situation so that you can perform the first aid procedure with ease. If you have an older child, you can have them help you with the procedure as it makes them more assured and feel in control of their situation.

Always see to it that you have the essentials for first-aid treatment ready in your home and in the car. Accidents and kid injuries are not uncommon so it always helps to come prepared whatever may happen.

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