Children: how to treat their summer ailments?

Mosquito bites

“We simply disinfect”: TRUE

Babies and their tender skin are prime prey for mosquitoes. Once bitten, the baby’s skin will show red, itchy pimples that he will scratch, and the lesions may swell and harden. What to do ? “We apply an antiseptic, possibly followed by a calming ointment. Whether the bite is on the face or not, our child is not at risk and that does not justify going to an emergency department. If we believe that the button is infected, we contact the pediatrician, in his absence his replacement or our family doctor ”, advises Dr. Chabernaud. Children and adults alike, we are not equal when it comes to mosquitoes: “Some little ones react more because their skin is particularly sensitive and reactive, or because they have already had a skin allergy,” notes the specialist. Some skins are more attractive to mosquitoes. It is not a question of “sweet skin”, but of the smell of the skin: “The mosquito locates its target thanks to its smell, and it is able to detect an odor that it likes at more than 10 m. So if mosquitoes like our baby, we invest in a mosquito net! “

Jellyfish burns

“Putting pee on it soothes the pain”: FALSE

Who hasn’t heard that pee story that would appease the fire of jellyfish burns? It is not useful… even if we reassure ourselves, it is not dangerous either! “The best is to rinse with cold water with the addition of vinegar, to neutralize the effect of the venom that the jellyfish has secreted”, explains Dr Chabernaud.

Hot weather: how to protect your child

“The fans and the air conditioning, soft”: TRUE. 

Otherwise, beware of colds in the middle of summer, even in the event of a heatwave! The fan is good, but already you have to be sure that it is well protected in case the child gets his little fingers close to it… Then, we do not adjust it too hard and not too close to his bed. For the air conditioning, the ideal is to cool the room when the baby is not there, and then have him sleep with the air conditioning off, in the cooled room.

Wasp and bee stings: how to treat my child

“We bring a cigarette to eliminate the venom : Faux. 

“We risk burning the child’s skin, in addition to the insect bite,” insists the pediatrician, under the pretext of wanting to neutralize the venom with heat. What to do: you still try to remove the sting, for example with a flick, or with tweezers, but then very delicately, without pressing on the venom pocket. Then we put cold water with a glove or a compress, to cool, and we disinfect with an antiseptic. We can also give a little paracetamol. “We are reassured, serious allergic reactions are not frequent in children. Of course, if he feels unwell, we quickly call 15, but it’s rare! ” 

Burns near the barbecue: how to react?

“We put under cold water”: TRUE. 

A burn can be serious, so we don’t “tinker”. “The rule to remember is that of three 15: 15 minutes under water at 15 ° C, and in the meantime, we call 15 (the Samu) to assess the severity of the burn”, advises Dr. Jean-Louis Chabernaud , for a long time at the head of the pediatric SMUR (Samu 92). “Obviously, we do not call for help for nothing, but if the child has received a kettle on the hand, or hot splashes from the barbecue, you need a doctor’s advice. »If necessary, we use our smartphone to send photos. And nothing is added: fat would risk cooking the flesh even more, and an ice cube, burning it more. On the other hand, letting cold water run for a quarter of an hour is always good. Good to know: the major problem with a burn is its extent: the skin being an organ in its own right, the larger the affected area, the more serious it is.

Drink the cup: attention, danger

“It can be serious”: TRUE. 

“When a child has drunk the cup, you must always be wary,” insists the pediatrician-resuscitator. “Check that he has quickly regained his breathing, that he is well.” Because if he inhaled water in his lungs, it could be serious. So if a child has drunk a lot from the cup and has had difficulty catching his breath, that he is not found very well, not very responsive, or has bubbles in the corner of his mouth, we quickly call the 15. His lungs may be deteriorating, such as during a drowning: he must be placed on oxygen.

Tick ​​bite: how to react if my child has been bitten?

“We put the insect to sleep so that it lets go”  : Faux.

Putting a tick to sleep with a cotton ball soaked in an ether-type product is no longer relevant and anyway, these products are now prohibited for sale. The risk, by stifling the tick, would be that it vomits its venom into the wound, diffusing the poison. The best is to remove the tick’s rostrum, a sort of hook that it sticks in the skin, very delicately with a tick puller that you buy in a pharmacy, by turning very slowly. In the following days, we monitor the skin, and we consult if there is redness.

Small cuts: how to take care of my child?

“You press it for a long time to reseal the edges”: False.

“It is especially necessary to disinfect small cuts, with an antiseptic product”, insists the doctor. It is best to always have one in your bag or in your car, with compresses and bandages, to treat ailments in the whole family.

Child: how to treat a wound on the knees?

« If the disinfectant stings, this is proof that it is effective “: False.

Today, chlorhexidine is widely used, colorless, painless, and very effective on many bacteria (we say “broad spectrum of action”). Say goodbye to grimaces and protests related to the grandmothers’ 60 ° alcohol compress! And that’s good for the little ones… and for us, the parents.

Abrasions: how to treat them

“We leave in the air so that it heals faster”: False.

Here again, the good reflex is to disinfect, then to protect with a bandage, because otherwise dirt and microbes can enter the wound and, in fact, delay healing. As there is no question of preventing our child from enjoying swimming under the pretext that he has scratched himself, we opt for waterproof dressings: it is really very practical.

Sun: we protect ourselves

“Even if the sun is shy, we protect the baby” : True. 

A baby is not a mini-adult: his skin, immature, is particularly sensitive to the sun which can burn him, so at the beach, even in the shade, he is protected with a cap (with flap on the neck, c is top), t-shirt AND sunscreen. And we also protect the eyes with quality sunglasses. Almost the same for slightly older children, avoiding exposure between 12 and 16 p.m. The perfect time for a nap at home! In case of sunburn, we hydrate a lot, then we possibly apply a soothing cream such as Biafine, and we force our loulou not to expose himself for several days… even if he grumbles!