There are several reasons why kids are more prone to injuries. To begin with, they are at a stage when they want to discover their surroundings. Their physical skills may still be developing, and they have poor coordination. Also, they may not yet recognize the danger of some situations. Most minor injuries require little or no medical attention at all and are easily managed by parents and guardians.
Types of injuries:
1. Abrasions
These usually occur in bony parts of the body like the face, elbow, or knee. The outermost skin layer is scratched and dirt gets into the wound. You should wash the wound with clean, tap water and use gauze to gently scrub any foreign material. Apply lignocaine gel, which is a topical anesthesia. Cover with non-stick dressing and secure with bandage.
2. Burns
Kids can get minor burns from a hot faucet, a spill from coffee, and other hot liquids. When this happens, you have to let cool water run over the burn for several minutes. Apply cold compress to alleviate the pain. Then cover it with a sterile dressing.
3. Bumps
Falls are one of the most common causes of bumps. To reduce the pain or swelling, you should place a cold compress or a bag of frozen vegetables covered in a light cloth over the wound, as long as your kid can tolerate it.
4. Bruises
When a blunt force hits the skin's surface, this causes bleeding beneath this. This causes discoloration in the skin. Applying ice on it immediately will ease the pain. The color of the bruise will turn from black to purple to yellow. Then, it will fade away.
5. Serious Injuries
There are certain serious injuries that may happen to children like dog bites, poisoning, and accidents in school, among others, where another person or company is held responsible. In this case, a law firm can provide with legal help. These types of injures are very normal and common, but can be quite traumatic for the child. Make sure they know everything will be alright and put their comfort first.
How to handle injuries?
1. Assure kids that they are safe
Children may have suffered from a trauma following an injury and may fear that something bad again might happen. So, it is best to let them feel that they are safe. Hug them, even if they are in their teens. Make sure there is an open line of communication, be there to answer whatever questions they might have and reassure them that you are helping them.
2. Let them share their feelings
Whatever they feel about what happened, whether they feel worried or upset, let them talk about their feelings. This is a healthy outlet for a child, they are obviously dealing with what they feel, allow them to express those feelings. Be sure to listen and if they want feedback make sure to offer them well thought out responses.
3. Let them go back to their regular activities
It would help to encourage them to catch up with schoolwork and spend time with friends. Once an accident has occurred, wither big or small, it is good to go back to the normal routine. Children thrive in routines, life will be easier to predict when you go back to acting normal and having normal expectations on the child.
4. Let them spend time with family
Spend more time with them, playing games or watching movies together. This is a time where the child is going to want to feel the love of their family and that nothing has changed.
It is natural for kids to get injuries from time to time. To prevent the outcome from getting worse, it is best to be prepared and deal with them with some knowledge of first aid.
