Accidents always happen and are almost unavoidable. Even the most preventive and caring parents are not able to completely eliminate them from the life of their child. So what can you do to feel safe in your own home with a curious little toddler exploring the world in his own way? You can prepare for possible consequences and have the knowledge needed to react quickly. A first aid course will be the best solution, of course, but don’t wait until your little one starts helping himself to honeysuckle berries in the garden or hurt himself in the yard. Get a list of the most common home injuries and learn how to help. Before professional help appears, you are the first person able to save your child.
- Mouth wounds – there is probably no child in the world who would survive the first year of life without a minor or major wound on the lip or in the mouth. Children are active, curious and no matter how you look after them, they will always move imperceptibly where they cannot. Fortunately, split lips heal very quickly and do not require medical intervention. Put an ice cube on the wound, and you can give it to a larger child to suck on. Sores caused by e.g. a crayon or a pencil in the back of the throat can also be soothed with ice. Grasp the cut and bleeding tongue with a gauze pad and hold it. If bleeding does not stop within 15 minutes, contact your doctor.
- A tooth knocked out – sometimes a child will fall so clumsily that he falls on his face. If a permanent tooth falls out, time is of the essence. Within 40 minutes you have to be in the dentist’s chair. There is then a good chance of reinserting the tooth into the gum. Grasp the tooth by the crown, not the root, and rinse it under running water. Place the tooth in the mouth or, if not possible, in water or milk. You can do the same with a broken tooth.
- Eye Wounds – if it is a foreign body such as eyelash or a scrap of wood or sand, try rinsing the eye with warm water, you can also try to remove the problematic item with a piece of clean linen. It is also effective to put the upper eyelid on the lower one and hold it for a few seconds. If these attempts fail, a doctor should be consulted, as a foreign body left in the eye may become encapsulated.
- Bites – if your child is stung by a bee, scrape the stinger off with a spoon or something flat, don’t grab the stinger with your fingers, otherwise you will press down on the venom sachet and all its contents will be pumped into the child’s skin. Observe that the child is breathing normally, as an allergic reaction may occur, requiring immediate attention. Remove ticks with tweezers as close to the body as possible. Do not twist, do not squeeze and do not lubricate with anything. Watch the wound for redness. Wash your dog’s wounds gently with soap and water for about 15 minutes. Contact the dog’s owner and find out everything about the dog’s vaccinations. You will then avoid the special rabies prevention procedure.
- fainting – if the child is not breathing immediately perform artificial respiration and cardiac massage and call for help. Otherwise, lay your baby on his back and, if necessary, cover him to keep him warm. Unfasten your clothing at the neck, turn your head to one side and clear your nose and mouth of foreign objects or food.
- Burns – each burn causes unbearable pain for the baby. Try to calm the child down and immerse the injured limb in water or use compresses. Cool down for about half an hour, that’s how much pain is usually felt. If the child has severe burns or clothing on fire, lay the child flat and do not remove the clothing from the body. Apply wet compresses and call for help immediately.
Your little one probably won’t avoid many of these accidents, but most of the time she ends up crying and running away to her mom’s arms. We can try hard to protect our children, but we must also be prepared to react rationally and quickly.