After a long, cold, and snowy winter indoors, both my son and daughter can’t wait to get outside to play again. I know that bruises and cuts are sure to follow. How can I best help my child during these first-aid situations?
Odds are that the vast majority of the injuries a child will encounter during his young life will not send you rushing to the emergency room. First-aid situations such as scrapes, bruises, and cuts can often be addressed by parents or other adults. Very minor scrapes and bumps may need no more than a parent’s kiss or a hug. But here are some basic first-aid tips for cuts and bruises that are a little more serious, but that don’t involve profuse bleeding or a suspected sprain or broken bones.
Bruises, also known as contusions, result from sharp impact that can result from a fall onto hard pavement, bumping into a sharp object, or being pinched so hard that the blood vessels below the skin break and excess blood rushes to the area.
A basic acronym for the care you should provide for a bruise — playtime or not — is RICE: rest, ice, compress, and elevate. Rest the bruised area; apply ice or a cold pack to reduce swelling (making sure that the ice does not directly touch the skin) compress the bruise by wrapping a bandage or piece of cloth around it firmly (though not so firmly that hurts), and elevate the injured area if possible.
Short-term use of over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen — never aspirin in children under the age of 18 — may help address your child’s pain, as long as you follow the dosage recommendations for your child’s age. If you follow these steps for up to 48 hours, and the swelling does not start to subside, or the pain stays the same or worsens, then it’s time to seek medical care.
Like care for a bruise, the sooner first aid is provided for a cut or scrape, the better. This is the case even if the wound has stopped bleeding on its own. No matter what, step one is to make sure the bleeding stops, first by applying continuous pressure for up to 10 minutes, then checking and continuing for another 30 minutes if the bleeding has continued.
Step two is cleaning out the wound with clear water to remove any debris, using small tweezers to remove any that does not come out in the rinse. Next, clean out the wound using soap, water, and a paper towel, napkin, or other type of clean cloth. Do not use hydrogen peroxide, which will kill bacteria, but will also kill the beneficial white blood cells rushing to the site of the cut to help it heal.
Applying an antibiotic ointment, if available, will reduce the chances of infection (though it will not make the healing process go faster). Finally, cover the clean wound with a bandage or gauze, changing the dressing at least once a day, and after every time it gets wet or dirty.
The knowledge of proper care for a child’s scrapes and bruises is essential, but equally essential is this rule: the “gray area” between when your care is appropriate and when a physician’s care is appropriate is wide, and can vary from parent to parent. If you are uncertain, despite proper first-aid care, whether your child’s injury requires professional medical attention or opinion, then that may be a sign that you should seek professional medical attention for your child, either through your child’s pediatrician, an urgent care clinic, or the emergency room. Cuts and bruises are not only a test of a parent’s first-aid skill, but of a parent’s judgment as well.
