Accidents abound as soon as babies learn to walk independently. Toddlers practice moving their limbs, and older children love to play and run around. Some kids are even little daredevils, getting into extreme situations for fun. So, it’s normal to see your child coming home with an injury. All should be well after treating their wounds and comforting your little one. But sometimes, a minor stumble could lead to bigger problems, especially if you don’t address it immediately.
Parents or guardians need to know how to handle common childhood injuries. Below is a list of injuries and their respective first aid and treatment tips.
Scraped Knees and Elbows
Scrapes are one of the most typical injuries kids can have. They often happen after falls or impacts against hard, rough surfaces. Exposed joints, like knees and elbows, are the usual areas that can get scrapes.
Wash Your Hands
If your kid has a skinned knee or elbow, you should first wash your hands with warm water and soap. You don’t want to give your child an infection while treating their wound.
Wash the Wound
Next, clean the affected area with soap and running water, too. But don’t get the soap directly into the wound, as it may cause irritation. Avoid using rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. These products might effectively kill bacteria but sting when applied to exposed wounds. Your child could start crying in pain and refuse further help. Rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide may also harm healthy tissue in the surrounding skin.
Let Dry and Apply Pressure
After washing, let the wound dry. If it’s still bleeding, apply enough pressure by pressing a clean cloth or gauze. It should stop after ten minutes or less. But if it doesn’t, contact your child’s pediatrician, as the wound might need to be stitched. Kids’ stitches involve anesthesia, so your little one won’t feel discomfort during the procedure.
Dress the Wound
Once dry, apply an over-the-counter antibiotic cream around the wound if it was originally dirty. Otherwise, petroleum jelly will do. Then, dress the site with a bandage to cover the affected area. Sterile gauze held in place with tape or an elastic band also helps.
The scrape should heal naturally over a few days. During this time, change the dressing and reapply petroleum jelly as needed. If you spot a potential infection, immediately bring your child to the doctor.
Bumps and Bruises
Kids often end up with bumps and bruises from their games and roughhousing. These childhood injuries are generally no problem if they’re on their leg or arm. You’ll spot the mild swelling and the telltale dark purplish-blue mark from the broken blood vessels.
Ice and heat therapy are two primary methods to decrease swelling and discoloration.
Apply an Ice Pack
Put an ice pack or a washcloth filled with ice on the bruise immediately after the accident to reduce its size. Don’t apply ice cubes directly on the skin or leave the ice pack on for more than 10 minutes. You could harm your child’s skin.
If you don’t have an ice pack or ice cubes available, a bag of frozen peas will suffice. Frozen raw meat isn’t a great idea, despite what your kid sees in cartoons. Raw meat contains bacteria that could enter your child’s bloodstream, especially when applied to black eyes.
Apply a Heating Pad
Forty-eight hours after your child receives a bump or bruise, you can apply a heating pad or compress. The heat boosts blood flow, lightening up the bruise. If your child has a significantly large bruise, a warm bath can loosen up muscles and ease pain. Add some floating toys and bubbles to the water to entertain your child.
Identifying and Treating Head Bumps
If the bump or bruise is on your child’s head, that’s a little more worrisome. Ice packs bring down the swelling, but watch out for the signs of a concussion. Concussions are mild to severe injuries that affect brain function. Sometimes, they could cause permanent disabilities.
Common symptoms of concussions in children include:
- Crankiness
- Excessive crying
- Listlessness
- Dazed appearance
- Unsteady walking
- Vomiting
- Sudden change in sleeping or eating patterns
- Lack of interest in their favorite toys
If you suspect your little one to have a concussion, call their pediatrician immediately. A head injury is something you shouldn’t take lightly, especially with children whose bones and brains are still developing.
Bumps and bruises are also easily avoidable at home. Thoroughly child-proofing rooms, fixtures, and even plumbing systems can help protect your little one from accidents.
Nosebleeds
While this issue involves blood, it’s often nothing to fear. Nosebleeds are quite common childhood injuries and don’t always indicate anything dangerous. But the sight of blood flowing out of your child’s nose is still a cause for concern.
Nosebleeds in children are typically anterior, which means the blood is coming from the front, a soft area of the nose. This part has many tiny blood vessels that can rupture and bleed when irritated or inflamed.
Basic Treatment for Nosebleeds
First aid for a nosebleed is pretty uncomplicated. Tilt your child’s head forward slightly. Pinch their nose below the nasal bone tightly with a tissue or a towel.
Hold the position for around 10 to 15 minutes. Waiting for the blood to clot may take an hour or more. So, set a timer and consider watching TV with your child to pass the time.
What to Avoid Doing
Contrary to popular belief, don’t lean your child’s head back. Doing this may prevent the blood from pouring out their nostril, but it could go down their throat instead.
Additionally, remind them not to blow their nose for a few hours after the blood clots. It may trigger the bleeding to start again.
Lastly, don’t insert tissue into the bleeding nostril. Putting foreign objects inside the nose is never a good idea.
When to Get Medical Care
If the bleeding doesn’t stop or slow down within 30 minutes, it’s a sign to seek medical attention. The appearance of an out-of-place nose or your child coughing or vomiting blood also calls for specialized emergency care.
Cuts and Puncture Wounds
Children do a lot of activities in pursuit of exploring the world and having fun. But sometimes, they could get a little cut or poke along the way. These childhood injuries are minor and heal quickly with prompt care.
Treating Cuts and Punctures
Similar to treating scrapes, wash your hands first before treating your child’s wounds. Then, rinse the cut or puncture with clean running water and soap.
If the wound is bleeding, apply pressure to the area with a gauze or clean cloth. Bleeding from wounds on your child’s arm or hand can be stopped by raising it above their head.
You often don’t need to dress the cut or puncture if it’s small and on an area that won’t get dirty. But you can put a bandage on larger wounds.
Calling Emergency Help
More often than not, cuts and punctures on kids are typically nothing to worry about. However, if the wound is in a sensitive area, the bleeding spurts out and doesn’t stop, or it’s very deep, call emergency services immediately. The same goes if your child hasn’t had a tetanus vaccine in five years.
Burns
When it comes to unintentional injury, burns are some of the most common. Kids are naturally inquisitive and tend to touch anything interesting, such as fire. If the heat doesn’t deter their little hands, they could expose their skin to the flames, causing a burn.
Fire isn’t the only cause of burns. Solvent cleaners, sunlight exposure, electrical currents, and friction may also be potential reasons. You need to know the cause of the burn before you begin first aid.
First Aid for Burns
Burns are agonizing even if they affect the skin’s surface. Once your child gets burned and you’ve identified the cause, flush the affected area with cool water. Never apply ice.
Remove clothing and accessories surrounding the burn unless they’re stuck to your child’s skin. Then, cover the burn with a non-stick sterile bandage or cling wrap. Avoid popping any blisters, as this could cause infections.
Whatever you do, do not apply any other chemical or ointment to the burn. These products contain heat and may likely worsen the injury. However, petroleum jelly or aloe vera can soothe the burn and moisturize the area.
Trauma Care for Burns
Minor, first-degree burns usually heal normally after first aid. But if you’re worried about the burn’s condition, don’t hesitate to call 911. Second and third-degree burns require medical attention. Burns caused by chemicals or electricity also need emergency care.
Allergic Reactions
According to the CDC, around 27.2% of children under 18 in the United States have an allergy. The majority of allergies revolve around food like cow’s milk, nuts, and shellfish. Other kids may have seasonal allergies, like hay fever. Meanwhile, some have allergies to pet dander, certain medications, or other chemicals.
Common allergy symptoms in children are often seen as an inconvenience rather than an emergency. You can treat sneezing, runny noses, and a mild rash with over-the-counter topical creams or antihistamines. Your little one’s symptoms typically subside a few minutes after this quick and easy first aid.
Some symptoms are more severe. If your child shows the following reactions, you must seek medical help:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Trouble breathing or swallowing
- Skin turning pale or blue
- Hives
- Swelling lips or tongue
- Weak pulse
- Dizziness or fainting
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
When these symptoms manifest, administer epinephrine, commonly called an ‘epi-pen,’ if you have any. Even if you successfully used the epi-pen, it’s best to call 911 or take your child to be seen by a doctor.
Twisted Ankle
Sprained ankles are also prevalent childhood injuries because kids love running and jumping around. Fortunately, they’re easy to treat with first aid at home.
Just follow the R.I.C.E. method, which means:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
Lay your child down with their affected ankle slightly above heart level. Apply a cold compress over the injury. Over the next 48 hours, reapply ice to the area for 15 minutes every hour. Don’t apply a heating pad or soak your child’s ankle in a hot bath. The heat promotes pain and swelling.
Afterward, wrap a bandage around the ankle to prevent it from swelling. If your child still feels pain, let them take a pain reliever with a dosage appropriate to their age.
All should be well within a few days if the sprain is mild. More severe sprains may take weeks to heal. If you notice a deformity or your child can’t put weight on their sprained ankle, it’s time to bring them to a doctor. These signs may indicate a dislocation or broken bone.
Insect Bites and Stings
Even if your kid plays outside carefully, there’s a chance they might get bitten by bugs. This scenario is prevalent during summer when mosquitoes abound. They could also get stung by a bee if they get too close to a hive. Thankfully, these common injuries are often so minor they require little to no medical treatment. First aid usually does the trick.
First, remove your child from where they were bitten or stung. Use tweezers to pull the stinger if it’s still attached to their skin. When the area is all clear, wash it with soap and water. Press a damp cloth with cold water or an ice pack over the affected area to reduce swelling and pain. After some time, apply calamine lotion on the bite or sting and an oral anti-itch medicine, if needed.
While insect bites and stings are generally nonfatal injuries, some children could be allergic to the venom of these bugs. If your kid shows signs of anaphylaxis, you must take them to the ER immediately. You should also contact emergency services when your child is bitten or stung by an animal like a scorpion, snake, or wild, potentially rabid creature.
Wrapping Up
Kids get into accidents frequently, which makes childhood injuries so common at their age. Most of the time, they’re not as complicated to treat with first aid when you know what to do. But it won’t hurt to take them to see their pediatrician just to be sure your child is okay.
Regardless of the injury’s severity, you must remain calm. Panicking will only lead to wrong decisions and your child panicking, too. Act promptly and with a clear head. Your little one will feel much better in no time.
Please Note: I always strive to provide accurate and helpful information, but just a quick heads-up—I’m a blogger, not a doctor, lawyer, CPA, or any other kind of certified professional. I’m here to share my experiences and insights, but please make sure to use your own judgment and consult the right professionals when needed.
Also, I accept monetary compensation through affiliate links, advertising, guest posts, and sponsored partnerships on this site, however I am very particular about the products I endorse and only do so when I am truly a fan of the quality and result of the product.
