What to do in an Emergency involving your Baby or Toddler - Part 2

Some helpful tips in what to do: should you come in an Emergency Situation with your Baby or Toddler.

BREAKS AND STRAINS:

Broken bones are very painful and require swift medical treatment. Let the paramedics bandage the splint or broken limb if possible, unless you are in a remote area and need to support and splint the break yourself. Do not try and straighten a broken limb. Naturally the child will hold the injured limb in a position most comfortable. Try to support the limb in that position.

BROKEN ARM:

To prevent further injury the arm must be immobilised and supported.

1. Lay your child’s broken arm across his chest
2. Pad the injury with a folded towel, supporting the injured arm with your other hand
3. Drape a triangular bandage between your child’s chest and the injured arm. The long side of the bandage should come down from the shoulder of the injured arm, and the other corner will be positioned at the elbow of the injured arm
4. Bring the corner over the forearm and around the neck
5. Tie the two ends on the injured side

BROKEN COLLARBONE:

Immobilise the collarbone before taking your child to hospital, using an elevation sling if you have one available:

1. Rest the finger tips of the hand on the injured side on the shoulder of the good arm
2. Hold one end of the bandage at your child’s fingertips
3. Drape the long edge down the body with the point below the elbow on the injured side
4. The bandage must go under your child’s elbow to support the arm on the injured side
5. Bring the bandage across your child’s back and tie it on the uninjured side
6. Make sure you can see your child’s fingers and loosen the sling if the become cold, numb or discoloured

AMPUTATION:

Severed fingers and toes can sometimes be successfully reattached. The key is to get your child to a hospital as soon as possible, and to look after the severed body part correctly:

1. Call an ambulance
2. Place a clean pad or sterile dressing on the injury and press gently to staunch the bleeding
3. If possible, raise the injured part of his body
4. Place the severed part in a clean plastic bag, or cover it in cling film
5. Wrap it in a towel and place it in another plastic bag filled with ice

BROKEN LEG:

If you are unable to wait for a paramedic you will need to support and splint the broken leg to the injured one. Move the good leg to the injured one, splint with something like a broomstick, and secure with bandages.

1. Support his leg while you help your child to lie down, but to not try to straighten his leg
2. Pad both sides of the injured leg with rolled up towel / blankets
3. Call an ambulance
4. While you wait, hold the leg above and below the location of the fracture to immobilise it

SPRAINED ANKLE:

A sprain is a tear in the ligaments and tissues around the joint, causing pain and swelling.

1. Lie your child down, or sit him comfortably and gently remove his shoes and socks
2. Dip a cloth in water, wring it out and put over the ankle. Put an ice pack on top to reduce swelling
3. Put a thick layer of cotton wool around the ankle for support and cushioning, and bandage it in place
4. Keep his ankle raised
5. Go to your doctor or the emergency department

BURNS:

Burns can be very painful and treating them quite complicated. You need to know the different types of burns and what you are dealing with before you determine what action you should take. Bad burns need urgent medical attention.

Burns can be divided in 3 categories:

FIRST DEGREE BURNS:
(Superficial thickness) are red and may be a bit swollen. The skin might be painful and it can also look like a mild sunburn

SECOND DEGREE BURNS:
(Partial thickness) are very painful and usually blistered

THIRD DEGREE BURNS:
(Full thickness) this can leave the skin charred and black, or hard and white. The burnt area will be swollen and may have broken open, but because of the extensive damage to the nerve endings, it may not be painful.

What to do:

Remove the source of the burn. If your child’s clothes are on fire, you need to put the flames out. Do not use water if he has been burned by an electrical aplienace
Throw the water downwards to stop flames from reaching the face
If there’s no water nearby, wrap your child in a blanket or rug to deprive the fire of oxygen.

When to call an ambulance:

If the burn is second or third degree
If the burnt area is larger than your child’s palm
If your child has inhaled smoke
If the burn shows signs of infection, like swelling and redness
If your child was burnt by an electric shock
If the burn is on the face, genitals, hands or feet and or joints

TIPS:

Remove or cut away any clothes or shoes from the burnt area, unless they are stuck to the skin
Hold the burnt area under cold running water, or cover it with a clean cloth soaked in cold water
Avoid lotions, butter, Vaseline, ice or anything else
Cover any blisters with a sterile dressing
Never pop the blisters, they protect you form infection an help the healing process

EYE INJURIES:

An eye injury can be very painful and it might be difficult to calm your child to see the extent of the injury. Don’t give up, this is the only way o take the appropriate action

TIPS:

Hold the head still and use a pad to cover the injured eye. If an object is stuck in the eye, be careful not to push it further in.
Hold the pad in place and wrap a clean bandage around the head.
Bandage both eyes, as this will help in not moving the injured eye.

CHEMICALS IN THE EYE:

Wash your child’s eye under cold running water. Keeping the affected eye downwards to make sure the water does not run from the affected eye into the other eye.
Cover the injured eye with a sterile dressing and seek medical attention

OBJECT IN THE EYE:

If there is something in the eye, or sticking to the iris or pupil, do not touch it. Take your child to the emergency unit immediately. Only try removing something by flushing as any other method can result in scratches to the eye.

TIPS:

One way is to pull the lower lid down and ask your child to move his eye around so that you can see the object.
Pull the upper lid over the lower lid. Ask your child to blink.
A small amount of water can also be poured into the eye ( this can be done with your help to keep it open, be careful though not to injure the eye).
If none of the above helped seek medical attention.

If any of the following is happening, go to the emergency unit ASAP:

Visible bleeding on the white part of the eye, especially near the cornea.

Any visible abnormality of the eyeball.
Increased redness.
Drainage from the eye.
Persistent eye pain.
Any changes in vision.

FIRE SAFETY:

Fire is one of the leading causes in death in children under 4 years.
Discussing what need to be done in the case of a fire is necessary. Also planning your escape route carefully.

1. The first priority should be to get your family out of the building that is on fire.
2. If possible close the door of the room where the fire is
3. Lay blankets or towels, soaked in water, along the gab at the bottom of the door
4. On your way out of the house, close other doors behind you as well
5. If you need to open a door to get out of the house, don’t open without checking first if there is a fire behind it. This can be done by feeling at the metal handle of the door with the back of your hand
6. If there is smoke, crawling out is best
7. If you can’t escape, open a window and seek help. If possible soak the walls and doors nearest the fire with water

TIPS IN AN EVENT OF FIRE:

If you need to break a window to escape, the safest would be in a corner.
Cover any edges of broken glass with a blanket if one is available and again if possible with an adult on either side, help the children through.
If you need to drop from a high window, throw cushions and blankets first to break your fall.
Always drop, rather than jump.
If you need to drop children, lean forward holding them by the wrists and let go, this will help minimising the distance they have to fall.

SMOKE INHALATION:

This is very dangerous and this is a common result of house fires.
1. Get yourself and your family in fresh air as soon as possible
2. Crawl along the ground where the smoke is less thick
3. Call the fire department and an ambulance

SHOCK:

When there is a drop in blood pressure, your child may go into shock. This can be dangerous because if the organs do not receive enough oxygenated blood they may be unable to function. Fear and pain, which accompany any accident, contribute to shock and it’s essential to stabilise your child as soon as possible.

CAUSES OF SHOCK:

· A loss of blood
· Loss of body fluids such as gastroenteritis, severe burns or internal or external bleeding
· Spinal injury
· Poisoning
· A severe allergic reaction (that results in a drop in blood pressure)

SYMPTOMS OF SHOCK:

· Rapid pulse
· Grey complexion
· Sweating and clamminess
· Nausea, vomiting and thirst
· Weakness and dizziness
· Oxygen supply to the brain weakens he may yawn, gasp for air and become anxious
· Eventually he will loose consciousness

WHAT TO DO IN THE CASE OF SHOCK:

1. Call an ambulance
2. Lie the child down with his legs higher than his chest
3. Undo any tight clothing on his neck, chest or waist
4. Put him in the recovering position if he has lost consciousness or is vomiting
5. Put a blanket over the child to keep him warm. In the case of an infant, wrap the blanket tightly around him
6. Keep checking his breathing and pulse and prepare to give resuscitation if necessary

ELECTRIC SHOCK:

Frayed flexes or wire and defective appliances are often the culprits and the results could be deadly.

TIPS:

1. Break the electrical current before touching the child. If you touch him directly you will get shocked too.
2. Switch the current off at the mains or pull the plug out
3. Call an ambulance
4. Examine your child for shock, burns
5. If your child is unconscious place him in the recovery position
6. If necessary start resuscitation

Make sure your electrical appliances, wires, plugs and so on are in goo condition
Invest in socket covers, available from baby stores. Teach your child about the dangers of electricity.

WATER SAFETY AND DROWNING:

A baby can drown in practically any amount of water. If your child or baby falls and her nose and mouth are submerged in water and she is unable to get up, she will drown. The following checklist can help in preventing your baby or child from drowning.

OUTDOOR SAFETY:

Look for places where water can collect, get rid of these if possible.
Collection areas under drain pipes – rather let water drain directly onto the grass or concrete.
Rock formations in your garden – remove the rock from your garden.
Watering cans or buckets that are left outside – cover these or keep them indoors.
Water bowels for pets – small babies could even drown in these.

PERMANENT FIXTURES:

Make sure water features, ponds, rock pools and swimming pools are covered
If you have a water feature that stands above your baby’s eye level, make sure your baby cannot pull it on top of herself.

PREVENT YOUR CHILD FROM DROWNING:

Many of the children who drown every year can in fact swim. Never leave your child alone in water even if she can swim, and even if she is wearning arm bands or other flotation devices.
Swimming pools should be fenced and the fence should have a child-proof locking mechanism.

Ideally a pool net should be fitted.
Ponds, baths and buckets are also drowning hazards.
Toys should not be left in and around the pool where they will attract children.