With summer comes a host of injuries, from skinned knees to more serious situations that may require a trip to the emergency room. Parents, too can be the victim of an emergency, so children really need to know some basic first aid skills. This is true whether your child is four or fourteen.
Calling for help
Once your child reaches the age of four, she should know all about calling 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. Explain all about what a real emergency is. For example. she should call 9-1-1 if an adult asks her too, if an adult passes out and cannot be woken, if there is a fire and she can’t locate an adult, or if people are hurt and she can’t locate an adult.
As I am typing this, i just realized that although my kids are versed in 9-1-1, the telephones in the house are out of reach for all but my oldest child (to prevent the youngest from playing with the phone). Don’t make this mistake yourself.
Cuts and scrapes
Teach children about basic care for cuts and scrapes. In my house, the kids all know that cuts must be cleaned and where the bandages are. They also know how to put pressure on a cut to make it stop bleeding. Of course they should ask an adult for help when needed, but they should also know a bit about self care. Believe it or not, I had to assist a teenage neighbor once who had no idea what to do when he cut his hand on a fence. He literally just ran around in a circle.
Burns
Instruct your child that if he ever gets a burn, he should immediately call for help and then run the burn under cool, not cold water. Getting a burn cooled down quickly can minimize the damage to the skin. This is important if a parent or other adult isn’t with your child when a burn occurs. A blistering burn is more serious and needs immediate attention by an adult.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
Related Articles: