Seeing your child injured can be one of the hardest events a parent or caregiver must go through. Being ready for the most common injuries and health situations can help prepare you for responding calmly and coolly to a child getting hurt. Prepare a plan of action in case certain injuries occur and always make sure to have poison control and emergency numbers handy.
Injury
If an eye is contaminated, flush it with water for 15 minutes, according to Healthy Children website. Do not touch the eye. For sprains and fractures, wrap the injured area with a cloth and cardboard. Ice the area and call a pediatrician. Never move the child if the neck or back is injured. Instead, call emergency services immediately. Apply ice pack or cold compress to bruises. Wash cuts and stop bleeding with pressure, and dress with antibiotic ointment and bandage, rinse scrapes with a mild soap and water, and dress these with antibiotics and bandage. If bleeding does not stop or the wound is deep, contact your pediatrician because the cut may need stitches.
Stings And Bites
If your child is stung by a bee or other insect, remove the stinger with your fingernail and apply a cold compress to the area to relieve pain. Healthy Children suggests if your child is bitten by a spider, you should call poison control to describe the spider in case it is poisonous. If your child has a tick, use tweezers to pull the tick off the skin. Place the tweezers as close to the insect's head as possible. Snake bites should be considered an emergency and the bitten area should not be raised above the child's heart.
Burns
In the case of a burn, Healthy Children says to take the child away from the burning object right away. If her clothes are burning, dowse them in water after patting flames down. Remover the hot clothes unless they are stuck to her skin. Contact emergency medical services. If she has burn blisters, do not break them. With electrical burns, disconnect power immediately. Pull her away from the item with a wooden pole or stick.
Choking And CPR
Kid'sHealth suggests that every parent, caregiver or babysitter know how to conduct CPR. Cardiopulmonary rusucitation is a means of getting blood and oxygen to the brain if the heart has temporarily stopped or breathing has been cut off. When a child needs CPR, it is important to know that his airway must be clear, he must not be breathing and must be given chest compressions to get the heart pumping again. Kid's Health says that CPR on a child begins with two breaths followed by 30 chest compression at least five times.
You can find a registered CPR training course in your area through a local hospital, the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. One of these courses can prepare you for administering CPR and teach you when it is necessary. Always remember to call emergency services when CPR is needed.
What is an Emergency
It can be hard to determine whether the cut on her arm or the sprained ankle is an emergency or needs immediate medical care. According to Healthy Children, an emergency is anything that can cause permanent harm to your child or is threatening to her health. Call emergency services if your child is acting strangely or losing alertness, is unconscious, is jerking, having trouble breathing, has blue, gray or purple lips, has severe pain, or if he inhales or swallows poison.
Keep phone numbers handy for your pediatrician, emergency medical services, local police, fire department, poison control, hospital emergency department and your dentist in case of an emergency or for quick consultation.
