An abrasion is a rub or tear on the surface of your skin. Show A cut is when something sharp separates your skin. Most children get cuts and abrasions. Young children often get them when they’re learning to walk and climb and they fall over or bump into things. Older children and teenagers often get cuts or abrasions playing sport and doing other kinds of physical activity. Does your child need to see a doctor about cuts and abrasions?Maybe. You can treat most minor abrasions and cuts at home. But if there’s blood spurting out of your child’s wound or there’s an object like a stick sticking out of it, apply firm pressure to the wound. Then call 000 for an ambulance or take your child to a hospital emergency department immediately. You should also take your child to your GP or a hospital emergency department if the cut or abrasion is:
You should also see a doctor if your child isn’t immunised against tetanus. It’s important to have a home first aid kit. Your first aid kit should be organised, well stocked and close by. Make sure everyone in your family knows where it’s kept, and that everyone can get to it easily. You can buy first aid kits from your local pharmacy or from providers like St John Ambulance. Treatment for cuts and abrasionsStart by checking the abrasion or cut:
Here’s how to treat cuts and abrasions at home:
Over the next few days, it’s important to keep the wound clean and help it to heal:
In the days after the injury, it’s important to watch the wound for signs of infection. These signs include pain, swelling, warmth and pus. On children with lighter skin, the skin might also look red. On children with darker skin, the skin might also look brown, purple or grey. See your GP if you notice these signs, especially if the infected area looks like it’s getting bigger. If your baby has a puncture wound, you'll want to wash your hands and then take a good look at the injury. Using a stream of water, wash it with soap and rinse it well for five minutes. Without probing, look to make sure that there's nothing in the wound. If you see anything, or if a piece of the object that caused the wound is missing (the end of a hook, for example), take your baby to the emergency room. Also take him to the emergency room if he's bleeding and you can't control it with pressure. (Most puncture wounds don't bleed much, though.) If the puncture wound is anything more than very minor, or if the object that caused the injury was rusty or dirty, give your baby's doctor a call. She'll probably want to take a look at it and perhaps prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. The doctor will also want to examine your baby if an animal bite or human bite has punctured the skin. Will he need a tetanus shot?That depends on which shots your baby has already received. Tetanus shots are usually given as part of the regular vaccination series at 2, 4, 6, and 15 months. These shots will protect your child from contracting tetanus, a potentially fatal infection caused by bacteria that enter the body through a wound. The doctor will decide if your baby needs an additional tetanus shot, depending upon the wound and how many shots he's already received. (If your baby is more than 6 months old and he hasn't received three shots, the doctor will give him one now.) If the wound looks at all troublesome (not clean and minor), the doctor may also give your baby a shot of human tetanus immune globulin, which contains antibodies to help fend off a tetanus infection. What can I do to prevent this kind of injury?Childproof your house to prevent your baby from falling onto sharp objects and to keep him out of drawers that hold pointed tools such as skewers or knives. Don't allow him to run with sharp objects such as pencils or sticks or carry around objects that could break and produce jagged edges if dropped (glasses, ceramic plates). Supervise your baby around animals so that he doesn't get bitten. And once he's walking, don't let him toddle around barefoot anywhere he might step on an old nail or other sharp objects, especially outdoors. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Undated. Animal or human bite. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Human%20or%20Animal%20Bite [Accessed August 2020] CDC. 2019. Tetanus causes and transmission. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tetanus/about/causes-transmission.html [Accessed August 2020] Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Undated. Puncture wounds. https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/puncture-wounds [Accessed August 2020] Healthwise. 2019. Puncture wounds. Michigan Medicine. https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/pntwd [Accessed August 2020] Kaji AH. 2018. Wounds. Merck Manual: Consumer Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/injuries-and-poisoning/first-aid/wounds [Accessed August 2020] MayoClinic. 2019. Puncture wounds: First aid. https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-puncture-wounds/basics/art-20056665 [Accessed August 2020] Stanford Children's Health. Undated Puncture wounds. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=puncture-wounds-90-P02844 [Accessed August 2020] Dana Dubinsky is a health and science editor.
And remember, contact your doctor if your child develops any of the 'Call Your Doctor' symptoms.Disclaimer: this health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it. Last Reviewed: 07/20/2022 Last Revised: 03/17/2022 Copyright 2000-2022. Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines LLC. |