Healing at Home

Nicks and scrapes are part of growing up and though they may seem alarming at first, they are rarely serious.

First aid basics:
The way you react to your child’s injuries is important because your child will learn from your example. Your calm reactions while attending to his injuries will help control your child’s pain and fear.

• Cuts:
Small cuts do not need antiseptics. Use clean water to wash wounds and don’t overdress them. Make sure the dressing is not air tight, so that the wound can ‘breathe’

In case the child has hurt himself with a fall on the tarmac or cut with rusted iron, get an anti-tetanus injection.

• Bruises:
A bruise appears when a fall or blow causes bleeding into the tissue beneath the skin, which produces swelling and discoloration. If your child does manage to bruise himself, hold a pad wrung out in chilled water over the bruise for some time. This reduces the pain and swelling. However, if the child is in great pain and the swelling is severe, check for any signs of sprained joint or broken bone.

• Nosebleeds:
Quite common in children, nosebleed usually results from nose picking or minor injuries. If your child has nosebleed, sit him on your knee with his head over a bowl. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck and pinch the soft part of the nose for about 10 minutes persuading him to breathe through his mouth. Apply pressure for more time, if required. However, if it continues to bleed after half an hour, take your child to a doctor.
Try not to let him run around or blow his nose for about four hours after the bleeding has stopped.

• Burns:
Burns need immediate attention because they do not merely affect the visible skin. The heat penetrates and damages the blood vessels and causes oozing of fluid – the ‘colorless blood.’ In case of minor burn, this fluid comes out as a blister but in a more serious burn, there is bleeding from the raw exposed wound.

In case of burns, don’t put ant fats, ointment and lotions on the burn. Instead put ice cold water or fluoride toothpaste. After immediate first aid measures a doctor should see the burn which covers more than half an inch of skin area.