Burns can be caused by fire, electricity or chemicals or by coming into contact with a hot object. Scalds are caused by steam or hot liquid. The dangers of a bad burn or scald are that the child will lose a lot of fluid from the burnt skin, leading to shock, and that the skin will become infected.
What you can do
- Remove the source of the burning or remove the child from the source.
- Cool the burnt area immediately under cold running water for ten minutes or by repeatedly pouring cold water over the skin. Don’t use iced water or a shower.
- Carefully remove tight clothing or jewellery before swelling makes this impossible.
- Don’t pull away charred clothing sticking to the skin, but gently remove any other clothing around the burn. If it is a chemical burn, be careful not to burn yourself or him further.
- If the burn is small (less than the size of a ten pence piece across) and not on the face, genital area, palm, fingers, sole or a joint, treat the child at home.
- Otherwise, take the child to the hospital casualty department for treatment or call an ambulance.
- While waiting for the ambulance, look out for and treat signs of shock.
How to treat burnt skin at home
- Dry the affected area gently. Don’t use cotton wool as it could stick.
- Don’t put any grease or oily creams on the burn and don’t prick the blisters. Either leave the burn alone or dab it with a compress of gauze soaked in witch hazel, some aloe vera gel or lavender oil.
- Cover with a dry, non-adhesive burns dressing to prevent infection.
- Bandage lightly with a rolled gauze bandage to hold the dressing in place.
- Keep the burnt part raised to reduce swelling.
- If the burnt skin becomes infected (red, weeping, oozing pus or increasingly painful), consult your doctor.
What to do if a child’s clothes are on fire
- If you are near a tap or other water supply, douse the clothes with lots of water.
- If not, cover the child in a rug, blanket, coat or curtain. Don’t use anything made of synthetic material as this could make the flames worse.
- If there is nothing to hand, lie on the child and smother the flames with your own body. Fire needs oxygen to burn, so the idea is to cover the flames and prevent more air from getting to them. Don’t roll the child along the ground as this could increase the area burnt.
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