When the child injures himself

When the child injures himself

Spring is peak season for minor injuries in young and old children. Scooters must be tried, limits must be explored, and the will is often greater than the skills. Then it is good to be prepared with a well-equipped medicine cabinet.

What should I have in the home pharmacy in case the children injure themselves?

You can't be prepared for everything, but with the following items in your medicine cabinet, you'll be well equipped:

• Plasters in different sizes, preferably with funny motifs on them. Smiley plasters and plasters with animal motifs are incredibly effective against sore baby crying!

• Wound cleaning and care

• Wound salves and wound creams

• Anti-itch cream

• Various bandages such as gauze, elastic bandage, fire bandage and support bandage

• Tape, wound closure tape and compresses

• Sterile swabs for cleaning wounds

• Ice bag

• Local anesthetic ointment (Xylocaine ointment) and a cooling gel (aloe vera gel and Burnaid fire gel spray)

• Disposable gloves, scissors and tweezers

• Pain reliever. Remember that you should be restrictive with using painkillers and antipyretic medicine.

• Salt water for rinsing wounds and eyes

• Tick tweezers

• Medical charcoal in case of poisoning. Remember that it is not always correct to give charcoal in case of poisoning

• Thermometer for babies and children

• First aid kit

How to clean wounds on small children as gently as possible?

It can be heartbreaking to clean small children's wounds because it often hurts, but cleaning wounds is very important to prevent infections, so this is something that needs to be done! Always wash your hands first, to avoid contaminating the wound. The gentlest thing is to use running water from the tap, at least if you are in Norway where the water is clean. It doesn't sting, and you don't have to touch the wound. But if there is dirt or other particles in the wound, you unfortunately have to scrub to get it out. Foreign objects stuck in the wound can be removed with tweezers or a soft brush. In the case of serious wounds or burns on large areas of skin, you should contact a doctor. When the wound has been cleaned, you can apply a thin layer of wound salve to prevent infection in the wound.

What type of pain reliever can I give to the children?

Paracetamol is usually the first choice for pain relief for children, because it is a safe and good pain reliever. If the child cannot swallow tablets, paracetamol is available as a liquid, soluble tablets, suppositories and granulated powder. In case of pain that lasts more than 2-3 days, you must contact a doctor.

When is it necessary to contact a doctor?

It is not always so easy to distinguish harmless but painful minor injuries from the more serious ones that require medical attention. But it may be a good idea to go to the emergency room if the child has:

• Wounds that burst, bleed for more than 20 minutes without stopping or wounds that bleed profusely.

• Wounds that are deep and with visible, yellow-colored fatty tissue at the bottom.

• Wounds that are visibly contaminated. There will then be an increased risk of infection, and it must be considered whether to give a tetanus injection.

• Wounds with gaping wound edges (more than 3-4 mm) must be stitched by a doctor

• Wounds from bites (both from animals and humans) must always be assessed by a doctor.

• Damage caused by nails, glass, contaminated objects and the like.

• Head injuries, especially if the child has been unconscious, is nauseous, unwell, confused or does not remember what happened in the time surrounding the incident. A head injury can be potentially life-threatening!

• Swelling, severe pain, misalignment of the arm or leg or reduced mobility in the affected body part. These may be symptoms of a broken bone.

And remember: If you are in doubt or fear that the child may be seriously injured, it is better to contact a doctor once too often, than once too little!