It's always a good idea to have an antibiotic spray or ointment handy, along with some gauze and bandages handy. Prepackaged first aid kits can be purchased from your local pharmacy. Here are some sites with great information on wound care in kids:
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Scrapes and cuts may hurt, but words are comforting
I let my daughter run hand-in-hand with her friend from the library to the playground under the supervision of the friend's nanny. In the meantime, I was getting her jacket from the car. As soon as I turned my back, I heard a cry. I ran to her with my son in my arms. She was holding up her arm and I saw a spot of blood. The nanny said it was just a bruise, but I wanted to be sure. I took her back to the car, where I had a bottle of water and first aid supplies. My daughter wanted to go home and wouldn't let me touch her wound. After much coaxing and reassuring her that I was going to take care of it, she calmed down a little. Before I flushed the blood off with some water, she asked me if it was going to hurt. I didn't lie, "It might sting a little, but it's important to wash the boo-boo so that the germs can't grow on it. Then I'm going to put some of this medicine on it. This won't hurt; it will make it better. You choose the bandage you want me to put on it." It took two to cover it up, but by the time I was done, she was ready to continue with her playdate. I didn't realize she actually had a small scrape on her knee, as well, until I gave her a shower that evening. It didn't bother her as much, but I also put some antibiotic ointment on it. Convincing her to let me change the bandages and to take a shower was challenging, but they were both accomplished. Although I needed a little help from my husband to distract her when I pulled the old bandages off and put new ones on after putting more ointment on. I did not let her arm get wet, as promised. Before she went to bed, we had a discussion about her swim lesson the next day. She was willing to try it. We talked about it again in the morning when she seemed less anxious about her wounds and she was still in agreement that she should try going in the water. It turned out to be her best class! She did well enough to advance to the next level. When it was time for her shower, she was reluctant to wash her arm with the wound until I gently reminded her that she had just gone swimming and nothing bad happened. That went well. In fact, she didn't even whine about putting new bandages on. I guess my baby is a big girl now.
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