All young children actively explore the world around them. And even parental prohibitions cannot always protect curious children from rather dangerous research. As a result, babies can develop a variety of injuries. One of the extremely unpleasant moments is a burn in a child. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to protect the baby from this injury. Therefore, parents should know how to provide first aid to the baby.
Types of burns
The fearlessness and curiosity of little explorers is simply amazing. Children are not afraid of fire. They are attracted to electrical outlets, admired by beautiful bottles of chemicals. According to doctors, it is a burn in a child that is one of the most common reasons for which parents go to medical institutions. And most often these are injuries received at home.
Burns can be:
- Thermal. These are injuries caused by exposure to high temperatures.
- Chemical. They are caused by various household chemicals.
- Sunny. The result of prolonged exposure to scorching rays.
- Electrical. Injuries resulting from improper use of household appliances or"research" sockets.
In any of these cases, the child needs to quickly and competently provide first aid. Of course, depending on the type of injury, the methods of treatment will also differ slightly.
Degrees of burns
There is another important criterion to consider. It is necessary to be able to determine how serious the burn is in a child. After all, in difficult situations, the baby immediately needs qualified medical help.
There are 4 degrees of burns for children:
- Only surface layers are affected. The damaged area turns red, swells. The child complains of pain and burning sensation in this area.
- Such injuries are characterized by a large depth of damage. They cover not only the surface layer, but also subcutaneous tissues. The child experiences severe pain that lasts for a long time. The second degree is characterized by the formation of thin-walled blisters filled with liquid.
- The lesion covers superficial and deep skin tissues. Burns of the 3rd degree are divided into types: A and B. The first variety is characterized by the formation of thick-walled blisters and scabs. However, he althy epithelial cells, hair follicles and secretory glands are preserved. Due to them, tissue regeneration occurs. Grade B is characterized by severe damage. Purulent inflammation, tissue necrosis can be observed. A burn is a wet open wound. He leaves a scar behind.
- This is the most severe degree. It is characterized by charring and the formation of black scabs.
Only grade 1 and 2 injuries can be treated at home. Grade 3 and 4 injuries require hospitalization.
Thermal burn
Kids love to be near mom in the kitchen. But it is here that many dangers await them. Little researchers simply do not understand that there is boiling water in the cup, and they can reach for it. They do not think that there is a red-hot pan on the stove, and stretch out their fingers to it.
As a result, delicate baby skin is damaged. Burning a child with boiling water is the most common household injury. It is greatly exacerbated by the presence of clothing. Clothes quickly absorb hot liquid and greatly worsen the effects of injury.
Sometimes a burn with a hot metal object (touching a hot pot, iron) can occur. Such injuries are rarely deep. They almost never cover a large area. After all, the instinct of self-preservation works in a child, and he abruptly removes his hand from a hot object.
First Aid
Parents should know if, as a result of careless actions, a child still has a burn, what to do in this situation.
First aid consists of the following activities:
- It is necessary to remove hot wet clothes from the baby as soon as possible. After all, she continues to burn the skin. You should act especially quickly if things are synthetic. Remove clothes very carefully so as not to damage the integuments on which blisters could appear, and not to cause the baby an even greaterdiscomfort. It is best to cut things and remove them immediately before they stick to the skin. If the clothes are stuck to the body, in no case should you open the fabric.
- To relieve the burning sensation and reduce the temperature, it is necessary to pour cold water on the damaged area. Continue cooling the burn for 10-15 minutes. It is strictly forbidden to use ice. This will greatly aggravate the injury.
- You should not lubricate the wound with greasy ointments, oil. Such actions contribute to the preservation of high temperature in the place of the burn. As a result, damage will spread significantly in breadth and depth.
- Apply a gauze bandage to the burn site after wetting it with cold water. The soda solution will ease the suffering of the child. For 1 glass of water - 1 tsp. soda. Periodically drying bandage should be watered with cold water. If gauze is not available, a germicidal bandage can be used to protect the wound from infection.
- When helping a child with a burn, an aerosol can be applied to the damaged area (after exposure to cold water): Panthenol, Levizol, Levian.
- Special gel wipes have proved to be excellent. They are most often used for 2nd degree burns.
- It is strictly forbidden to open the blisters that have appeared. They protect the damaged area from germs and prevent fluid loss.
- Do not treat the affected area with iodine or similar antiseptics.
- Even with minor burns, it is recommended to give the child an analgesic (Panadol medicine) and an antihistamine (Dimedrol, Claritin,"Suprastin", "Pipolfen").
Be sure to show the child to the doctor! With 3 and 4 degrees of burns, contacting specialists should be immediate. With such lesions, an ambulance should be called immediately.
Sunburn
This is another fairly common injury. Children's skin is very delicate. She can burn out quickly. Sometimes it is enough to spend half an hour on the beach for a child to get a sunburn. Such damage is extremely unpleasant and dangerous. After all, it is impossible to determine this injury by touch or by eye. It usually takes a few hours for sunburn to show up on the skin.
That is why it is necessary to cover the child from the sun's rays in the first days of being on the beach. It is recommended to use special creams or lotions to protect baby skin. However, you should not rely on them completely.
What to do?
If you observe sunburn in a child, then your actions should be as follows:
- Initially, try to relieve the pain as much as possible. To do this, treat the burnt areas with Panthenol aerosol. Sour cream or kefir will provide a good effect. You can resort to the help of strong green tea. Use a freshly brewed drink, always chilled. Using a cotton swab, liberally apply the liquid to the burnt skin. It is recommended to repeat this procedure as often as possible.
- To relieve pain, give your child an analgesic: Panadol.
If there is an increase in temperature orchills, see a doctor immediately.
Chemical burn
Every home contains a wide variety of chemicals. Of course, they should be stored in places that are inaccessible to children. But if the baby got a forbidden bottle, then it is likely that a chemical burn may form in the child.
You can identify acid damage by the following symptoms:
- Severe pain.
- A characteristic spot forms on the skin. When exposed to sulfuric acid, it becomes dark gray or black. S alt - leaves behind a gray tint. Nitric acid produces an orange or yellow stain. Carbolic or acetic is characterized by a greenish tint.
If a child’s burn is provoked by alkali, then the following symptoms appear:
- Severe pain
- Wet deep burn. A light crust covers it from above.
- Often there are signs of intoxication of the body: nausea, headache.
First aid
Most importantly, don't panic. In addition, you need to know how to help a child with a burn.
Your actions should be as follows:
- Call an ambulance immediately.
- Rinse the affected area thoroughly with running cool water. This procedure should last at least 15-20 minutes.
- Apply a sterile dressing to the burn.
- If you are sure that the damage is caused by alkali, you can apply a napkin moistened within diluted vinegar (1 part vinegar to 4 parts water) or boric acid (1 tsp for 1 tbsp water).
- If it is not possible to call a team of doctors, immediately take the child to the trauma ward.
Electric burn
This is an extremely severe injury. Electrical burns are characterized by deep tissue damage. In addition, they are fraught with serious consequences. Therefore, with such injuries, parents need to call an ambulance as soon as possible.
How to help a child
With such defeats, it is very important to act correctly and quickly. What to do if an electrical burn occurs? The child (first aid should be provided immediately) must be rescued.
This consists of the following activities:
- Remove the current. It is strictly forbidden to grab the power source with bare hands. An electrical appliance or wire must be discarded with a wooden stick. The child can be pulled by the edges of the clothing.
- If the baby does not have a heartbeat or breathing, urgent resuscitation is necessary. Give a heart massage and apply artificial respiration.
- Take the patient to the hospital immediately.
Features of injuries in a child under one year old
Burns in babies are dangerous for their severe consequences. That is why with such injuries it is recommended to show the baby to the doctor.
An important factor is the area affected. If a 1st or 2nd degree burn occupies an area of more than 8% (this is the size of the palm of the victim), then suchinjuries are assessed as severe and require the mandatory call of the ambulance. But these conditions apply to children over 12 months old.
The burn of a child up to a year is estimated somewhat differently. After all, in babies, the skin is much thinner, it has a developed circulatory and lymphatic network. Due to this, the covers have a greater thermal conductivity. Therefore, even a small burn can cause deep damage to a baby up to a year old. In infants, if 3-5% of the skin is damaged, it is necessary to call an ambulance.
Recommended drugs
What medicines can be used after a child's burn to relieve unpleasant symptoms? It is best to consult a doctor. A competent specialist will select the most effective means.
Most often, with injuries of 1, 2 degrees, such medicines can help:
- "Panthenol". It is best to use an aerosol. It can help with any thermal burns. It is recommended to use it for sun injuries. It is allowed to apply the product on the skin with cracks and abrasions.
- "Olazol". The drug is an excellent pain reliever. It protects against the development and reproduction of microorganisms. The tool provides accelerated healing.
- "Solcoseryl". For the treatment of burn injuries, a gel or ointment is used. The tool effectively fights thermal damage. It will be useful if the child is sunburned.
- Gel anti-burn wipes. Such a tool effectively cools the wound surface, anesthetizes it. Napkin providesdestruction of microbes. This tool is very convenient to use. It is easily replaced as needed.
Folk remedies
If there is not a single medicine at hand, from the ones listed above, what should I do? What can a child do for burns?
In this case, it is recommended to resort to traditional medicine:
- When burned with boiling water, you can use raw potatoes. The tuber must be grated. The gruel is placed on the affected area and covered with a bandage. Change the grated potatoes as they heat up.
- Significantly weaken the unpleasant symptoms of the cabbage leaf. A sheet is placed on the burn and tied. After a few minutes, the pain subsides. And after half an hour it disappears completely.
- A fresh cut aloe leaf will do the trick. It should be peeled off. This sheet is applied to the damaged area for 12 hours.
If your child is burned, the main thing is not to panic. Try to correctly assess the degree of damage and, if necessary, call an ambulance. In the meantime, give proper first aid.
