You’ve kissed enough boo-boos to know that childhood injuries are all too common — and burns in children rank as one of the most frequent accidents. (The top culprit? Scalding from hot liquids, which is why brushing up on tub safety is a must). There are tons of ways to prevent burns in children (like childproofing your home, but if a burn does occur, you should know how to treat it.
Burns in children vary in their severity — and are classified by degrees:
- First-degree burns affect just the outer layer of skin. Your little one’s skin will be red and swollen skin and she’ll be in some pain.
- Second-degree burns involve the first and second layers of skin. Your child’s skin will be bright-red, swollen, and blistery, and she’ll be in severe pain.
- Third-degree burns involve all layers of the skin and underlying tissue. Your child would have a wound that looks charred, black, white, leathery, or waxy. She may not be any pain because the nerves on the skin are damaged.
How to treat burns in children
First separate your child from the source of heat as fast as possible.
- If any part of a child is on fire, wrap her in a blanket, coat, bedspread, or even your own body, and (if you can) roll her on the ground to extinguish the flames.
- If a chemical substance has burned your child’s skin, flush the area with cool water for at least five minutes before removing any clothes — this will prevent you from exposing any other parts of your child’s body to chemicals. Then continue flushing the area with water for up to 20 minutes. If the chemical is a powder, brush it off the skin before flushing the area with water.
- If your child has experienced an electrical burn, disconnect the power source. If you can’t do that, separate your child from the power source by using a nonmetallic object (such as a wooden spoon, a rope, or a large book). Never use your bare hands (you risk getting a shock, too).
Next, treat the injury — though treating a burn depends on how severe it is:
To treat minor (first-degree and small second-degree) burns in children
- Remove any clothes from the injured area. Remember that in the case of a chemical burn, you’ll want to flush the area with water for several minutes before removing any clothes.
- Run cool water over the wound for at least five minutes or until your tot seems to be in less pain. Or put a clean, cool wet cloth (or washcloth) on the burn for several minutes or until her pain subsides — you’ll probably need to continue re-wetting the cloth to keep it cool. Do NOT apply ice, butter, or powder to the injury since this could aggravate it. And do NOT break any blisters since this makes the wound more vulnerable to infection.
- Gently pat the skin dry and cover it loosely with a nonstick sterile bandage or gauze to protect the skin.
- Give your little one a pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen (but don’t give ibuprofen to babies under six months).
- Call the doctor. Your pediatrician may recommend applying aloe or another topical ointment like Silvadene (for which you’ll need a prescription ) for treating a burn, but minor burns usually heal without much more treatment. Just watch for signs of infection — redness, fever, swelling, or oozing. Depending on the burn, the doctor may advise you to avoid exposing the area to sunlight for several months to prevent your child’s skin from becoming discolored.
To treat large second-degree and any size third-degree burns in children
- Remove hot or smoldering clothing only if the clothes don’t stick to the wound. Remember that in the case of a chemical burn, you’ll want to flush the injured area with water for several minutes before removing any of your child’s clothes.)
- Lay your little one flat, and, if possible, raise burned body parts above her chest level. Apply a cool washcloth (or any clean, lint-free cloth) for ten to 20 minutes. Note that you may need to re-wet the washcloth periodically to keep it cool. Don’t immerse large areas of her body in cold water since this could cause shock.
- Do NOT apply ice, butter, or powder to the area since this could aggravate the wound. And do NOT break any blisters since this makes the wound more vulnerable to infection.
- Gently pat the injured area dry and cover the burn with a sterile cloth or bandage (or a cool, lint-free sheet). Keep your child as warm and comfortable as possible to prevent shock.
- Call a doctor as soon as possible (for a severe burn, call 911).
When to call the doctor
When treating a burn, it’s important to call the doctor as soon as you’ve dealt with the injury. Call 911 as soon as possible if the following conditions apply:
- You think your child has a serious or large second- or third-degree burn.
- The burn comes from a fire or is an electrical or chemical burn. (In the case of an internal chemical burn — your child has swallowed drain cleaner, for example — call Poison Control instead at 800-222-1222.)
- Your child is having trouble breathing or isn’t responding.