Everyday Injuries: Wounds and Cuts
When
your child falls and cuts themselves, the sight of the cut and the
bleeding can be a little overwhelming. This quick and simple guide
can help you past the fear or panic so that you can patch things up
and kiss it better!
Even if it looks like there is a lot of blood coming from the wound, it's worth remembering that even a little bit of blood can cover a big distance. The worst thing is, the more your little one cries, the more the cut will continue to bleed because of the increase in the blood pressure! So, remaining calm is one of the pre-requisites in helping to stop the bleeding!
As adult-in-charge on the scene your job is to:
• Comfort your little person.
• Stem the bleeding
• Keep it clean
• Check the wound
• Decide if you need a visit to the doctor or hospital
• Give pain relief medicine if needed
Whilst you are calming your little one down try to clean the wound
in order to avoid infection. It will also give you an opportunity
to examine the injury.
1.
Clean gently
Use a clean WET cotton wool or gauze (or even a clean tea towel) OR, if the wound is easily reached, run it under cold water. Keep this brief so that your child does not get too cold.
2. Examine the wound for debris - don't be alarmed, it may
seem
pretty deep the first time you look at it
If it seems debris free then apply pressure to the site by covering it with a clean dressing or towel and pressing on the wound with your hand. Try not to use anything that is fluffy or that might stick to it such as a tissue or cotton wool.
If there does seem to be something in there you still need to apply pressure but by putting pressure around the object rather than on top of it. You should wait until you are in hospital to have the object removed. This will reduce the risk of further injury.
3. Raise the area
If you are able to, try to raise the limb or area affected by the wound as this will also help to slow the bleeding down.
By running water over the wound, applying pressure and elevating the wound, the bleeding should begin to slow down.
When everything is a little calmer you can have another look and assess
whether you may need a hospital visit. This would be a good idea if:
• The bleeding does not stop, or the dressing gets saturated
quickly
• The bleeding comes out in spurts rather than oozing out
• the wound looks very dirty
• the wound looks deep enough to require closure at hospital
to give a better cosmetic result
• an object or piece of metal/wood has penetrated the skin and
is very dirty or possibly contaminated with soil
Before you set off give your child a spoonful or two of medicine depending on how much they can have and this will help them to feel better in the meantime.
* These tips are no substitute for a thorough knowledge of first aid!
