What To Do If My Child Gets Burned By Boiling Water?
My son just got burned with boiling water! No doubt this expression can be absolutely worrisome for parents who have gone through this experience with their children. Therefore, it is important to react correctly to these emergencies.
Although parents are always attentive to provide all the protection and care that children need, accidents are inevitable. Kitchen burns rank first among the most common household accidents in children.
The most important thing, as always, is to try to take all the necessary safety measures to avoid these tragic accidents.
Likewise, it is necessary to know the fundamental first aid measures to be able to solve any emergency in case the child is burned by the boiling water.
What to do if my child gets burned by boiling water?
If your child gets burned by boiling water, the first thing to do is stay calm and carefully examine all the steps to follow. So you can help in every situation.
First, it is critical that you quickly move the child away from the kitchen area. Take it to a light and airy place where you can assess whether the burn is first, second, or third degree.
That way, you can check if taking care with home remedies is enough or if you should go to the emergency service.
If you think your child’s burns are mild, take off the clothing that is in contact with the skin affected by the boiling water and place them in cold water for about 5 minutes. This will help relieve the pain.
It is very important to emphasize that it is necessary to pay special attention to the state of the clothes that the child is wearing. If you notice they are stuck to the skin, do not try to remove them. In that case, take her to the emergency room immediately.
What To Do With First Degree Burns
First-degree burns cause more superficial damage to the skin. However, this does not prevent severe pain, inflammation and redness. To identify if this is the case, we note that the skin will be reddened like a sunburn, but will not have blisters.
There are some steps to take if your child suffers from a minor burn. They are:
- Cool the affected area with cold water for not less than 5 minutes. It is important to clarify that you should never rub ice on the burn area because it makes the irritation worse.
- Offer an ibuprofen tablet.
- You can use a hypoallergenic moisturizer, aloe vera (also known as aloe vera) and healing creams.
First-degree burns can heal in up to 5 days without leaving any kind of scar. However, even if your child’s burn is mild, if the affected areas are the face, genitals, hands or feet, go to the doctor. The skin in these areas is particularly delicate and needs special attention.
What to do with second and third degree burns
Second and third degree burns can leave consequences and marks on the skin if not treated correctly. This is because the skin can be deformed or scarred.
Therefore, if you think the child’s burn is serious, take the child to the emergency room or call an ambulance.
In second- or third-degree types of burns, the skin becomes red, swollen, blisters appear immediately, and in more severe cases, the skin may turn white or black. In this case, the child feels that the burned area is a little numb, but with a lot of pain.
As a final consideration, it ‘s important to know that the best treatment, obviously, is prevention. Hot water burns cause intense pain and, in addition, are so severe that in a matter of three seconds the burn can be third degree.
So, in case of doubts after a burn on your child’s skin, consult your doctor or quickly call the emergency service. It’s better not to spare care in situations like these.
