Powerful Physical Therapy

Taking Care Of Common Injuries In Children

19 December 2014 by Clifford Ramos

If you are the parent of a toddler and this is your first child, you may be afraid of how you will react when an injury occurs. The toddler years are a trying time, as there will be a few bumps and bruises that happen when your child learns how to walk. This is common and most injuries are able to be treated at home. Here are some guidelines for you to use to help you in treating common injuries:

Bleeding Skin Injuries

When a child is beginning the quest of walking, there will be times that he or she falls down during this learning process. If your child gets a scrape or cut from falling, you will first want to wash the affected area to remove any debris from the wound.

After the area is washed, do a check to see any bleeding is able to be stopped by applying pressure.

Use a clean washcloth and press over the area for a few minutes. Hold in place firmly to help in stopping blood flow. When you remove the cloth, if the bleeding has not slowed, you will want to take your child to urgent care to see if stitches will be needed. If the bleeding is subsiding, you can put on an antibacterial ointment and cover with a clean piece of gauze or a bandage.

Head Injuries

If your child bumps their head, this will leave a bump with a bruise mark. In small children, this can be alarming, as the bump usually will be an angry red and will blow up in size very quickly. This is common with head injuries. Place some ice in a plastic sandwich bag and wrap with a hand towel. Place this over the bump to help reduce any swelling. If your child seems lethargic and sleepy, you will want to bring them to urgent care to check for a potential concussion.

Burns

If your child accidentally touches something that burns, you will want to place the affected area in lukewarm water to help relieve the pain from the heat. If the burn is making skin peel, you will want to go to urgent care immediately. If it was a quick touch and left a red mark, this will most likely turn into a blister shortly afterward. Wrap the affected area loosely with gauze to keep your child from bumping it. Apply an over the counter suave to relieve some of the pain while waiting for the burn to heal.

For more information, contact a company like 24 Hour Urgent Care of the Desert.

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