No matter how hard we try to protect our little ones, mama, injuries are bound to happen, especially because healthy, active children love to run, hop, and jump around. While bumps, bruises, and scrapes are common as they grow up, some falls can be more serious and merit a trip to the hospital.
Here, we talk about the immediate things you should do after finding out your little one just got hurt:
1.) Remain calm and comfort your child
I know, mama. Seeing your child hurt is horrifying. However, it is important to stay calm because your little one is observing your reaction. The way you react to their pain will likely change their behavior: if you’re scared, they’re likely to be more scared. So, it is important to keep calm and comfort them to let them know that they’re not alone and that they’re going to be okay.
2.) Inspect the Injury
If your little one has a bruise, apply a cold compress on it to minimize swelling. If they have a physical wound, clean the wound with water or a cleansing spray. Observe the wound site and see whether or not you need to apply some antibiotic ointment and a bandage to keep it from getting infected.
If your little one suffered a bump on the head, have your little one rest and watch out for signs of a concussion. Signs of a concussion include vomiting, a severe headache, dizziness, confusion, and even fainting spells. If they’re having a concussion, notify their pediatrician and take them to the emergency room immediately.
Last but definitely not least, if you think they may have injured their neck, back, hipbones, arms, or legs, notify their pediatrician and make the trip to the emergency room so they can do necessary tests to ensure your little one is okay.
3.) Have your little one rest
After any injury, it’s important to let your child rest for the next few hours to avoid a second injury from happening. For the next 24 hours, observe your little one closely for any unusual behavior, which might have been caused by the fall.
There are some signs to look out for that mean you need to get immediate medical care in the next 24 hours after a fall. These include:
- Being sleepier than usual and being harder to wake up
- Vomiting more than once
- Complaints of increasing pain in the body
- Complaints of head, neck, back, or joint pain
- Not walking normally
- Can’t focus their eyes normally
- Being fussy and upset
- Inconsolable
- Any other behavior that seem unusual to you and might worry you
Falls and injuries are frightening, especially when it comes to our children. Here are are some preventive measures you can take to try to minimize these from happening:
a. Babyproof the house, especially sharp edges and corners by putting corner guards
b. Protect stairs and other elevated areas by using metal baby gates
c. Do not leave young children on the bed and other elevated surfaces unsupervised
d. Always use the safety straps when using high chairs, shopping carts, strollers, etc.
