What should I do if my baby gets burned
Release time : 05/24/2025 09:30:01
Oh my God! The host was terrified last night by a news report about an accident involving a 5-year-old child. The report detailed that the child accidentally knocked over a hot pan, resulting in scalding injuries covering 2/3 of the child's face and 1/3 of their body. The young child's lively and active nature meant they were unwittingly exposed to danger, making them the main victims of the burns. Given the delicate skin of a baby, even minor burns can lead to skin damage, pain, scarring, and in severe cases, shock! What should parents do if their child is burned? How can burns be treated without leaving scars? Below are some tips for emergency care after burns and how to recover without scarring. Parents must understand these essential skills!
Once a baby is scalded properly, it may delay or even aggravate the injury.
The anchor below provides the correct treatment method for the baby after being scalded. Parents quickly put it away! 1. Flush cold water. After the baby is burned, parents should not panic themselves. They should flush cold water on the burned area as soon as possible, so that the temperature can be cooled, and secondly, the blood vessels can be contracted to reduce pain and damage to the burned area.
The earlier the cold water soak time, the better the effect, but it should not be lower than 5℃.
If the burn area has blisters and broken, you should not soak it to prevent infection.
2. Take off your clothes When your baby's burns are covered with clothing, parents should not rush to take off your clothes to avoid tearing the blisters after the burn.
After washing with cold water to cool down, parents can use scissors to cut the clothes and carefully remove the clothes to prevent the skin and clothes from sticking together.
3. Cover the wound. After soaking in cold water for 10-30 minutes, parents should first observe whether the baby's body temperature is abnormal, and then cover the baby's wound with clean gauze or towel to avoid infection.
4. If the baby's burn is severe, parents should promptly take them to the hospital to avoid delaying the optimal treatment time.
What medication should be used for burns in infants and children? During their growth, hot water, steam, and hot oil are all potential culprits leading to burns. After a baby is burnt by hot liquids, parents should not only rinse the area with cold water promptly but also apply appropriate burn medications.
Under normal circumstances, specialized topical burn and scald creams can achieve the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and reducing swelling and pain, and are suitable for scalding injuries caused by water or fire.
However, parents should not blindly apply burn treatment to their babies: 1. If the burn wound blisters, small blisters can be left untreated without any medication.
2. For a small blister on the surface of the soybean, if the wound is shallow, use a sterile scissors to cut off the blister, and then dry it with a sterile cotton ball or gauze before applying a layer of Vitamin C oil or Vitamin C ointment.
3. If the burn wound is damaged, it should not be treated with medication to avoid deepening the wound and causing infection. It is better to rinse with cold water immediately and take the baby to the hospital for treatment under the guidance of a doctor.
Parents, please be reminded that after a baby is scalded, it's not advisable to apply Wanhua Oil, Jinwanhong, Zhenghuanhong oil, or other similar medications. Although these products also have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, their side effects are significant. If the burn wound becomes damaged, they can irritate the skin and exacerbate infection.
Common Misconceptions in Burn Care for Infants: Upon noticing the infant's pain upon being burned, many new parents become overwhelmed and often fall into common misconceptions after not having acquired the necessary knowledge about burn care beforehand.
Let's go over the most common misconceptions in nursing care, starting with mistake one: Burned areas should not be rinsed with cold water. Some parents believe that washing burns with cold water can lead to blisters.
In fact, whether a blister forms is not related to whether you're exposed to cold water; it depends solely on the cause and depth of the burn.
Immediately applying cold water to the burn wound for a period can cause vasoconstriction in the wound area, reduce the amount of exudate, and prevent the formation of blisters.
Misconception Two: Using toothpaste for burn treatment. Toothpaste itself does not have an antibacterial effect, and it often contains a certain amount of bacteria.
The abrasive in toothpaste is a irritant to the wound.
Furthermore, the foaming agent and flavoring agent in toothpaste have no therapeutic effect on wounds and can easily cause hypertrophy of granulation tissue and infection of wounds.
Misconception Three: Some parents advocate for using alkaline or acid neutralization to treat acid burns, while others recommend alkaline or acid neutralization for alkaline burns. This theory is correct in principle but is not advisable in practice.
Because the neutralization of acid and alkali releases a large amount of heat, which can result in thermal burns and exacerbate the condition of the baby.
Misconception 4: The antibacterial efficacy of wound dressings containing purple or red dyes is not strong, and the dark color of these agents obscures the burn's depth, affecting the doctor's ability to assess the extent of the burn.
Moreover, the red medicine contains mercuric chloride and when used on burns, it can cause allergic reactions.
If it is extensively used, it may also cause mercury poisoning.
Myth 5: Don't eat "hair food" after burns."hair food" is a folk term that refers to foods that can induce or aggravate the disease, including fish and shrimp, dog mutton, leeks, coriander, etc.
But this statement has no scientific basis! Fish, shrimp, and meat contain high protein, and leeks and coriander contain multiple vitamins, which are of great help to the healing of your baby's burn wounds.
Will my baby burn leave scars? When the baby is accidentally scalded, the most concerned issue for parents is whether the wound has a scar. In fact, whether the baby has a scar depends on the extent of the burn.
Generally speaking, burns are divided into three degrees: first-degree burns: only damage the surface of the skin, local mild redness, no blisters, and obvious pain.
Second-degree scald: Dermal injury with localized redness, swelling, and pain, accompanied by varying sizes of blisters.
Third-degree burns: skin ulceration and discoloration, with necrosis occurring, and may even result in tissue loss.
Among them, first-degree burns and second-degree burns generally do not leave scars, while third-degree burns can.
Certainly, babies with a hypertrophic scarring type of skin are more prone to scars after burns compared to those without such a genetic predisposition.
Parents should strictly follow medical advice when their baby is burned. Before the wound has healed, it is strictly forbidden to allow the baby to touch cold water. Application of ointments and scar-preventing patches is also necessary to prevent hyperpigmentation and scar formation. Additionally, it is important to avoid exposing the baby to strong sunlight for an extended period and to refrain from consuming spicy and greasy foods.
How to Prevent Burns in Babies: In daily life, many parents tend to overlook certain situations that could easily lead to burns or scalds. Only by paying extra attention and taking early precautions can we avoid accidents involving our babies.
Here are some common situations where babies are most prone to burns and scalds. Parents should keep these in mind! 1. Playing with fireworks and firecrackers: With the New Year approaching, many families purchase fireworks and firecrackers to add to their festive cheer. However, parents with "bear-like" babies should be cautious. It's best to choose safe fireworks and avoid letting your child play with them alone or immediately after they are lit.
2. When using a hot water bottle for warmth, in winter when the weather is cold, if parents want to use a hot water bottle for baby warming, it should be wrapped with a towel outside the hot water bottle and the hand should not feel hot.
Note, the lid of the hot water bag must be tightened and the warm water should be changed regularly.
3. When giving a bath to your baby in the bathroom, parents should first add cold water and then dilute it with hot water to avoid scalding the baby with hot water.
In addition, the water heater temperature should be set below 50 degrees Celsius. If the water temperature is between 65-70 degrees Celsius, it is very easy to scald babies.
4. In the kitchen, children can be at risk of accidents. If parents are cooking in the kitchen, they should not let their children play around it. Additionally, the floor of the kitchen should be kept dry and hot water bottles should not be placed on the ground. Doors to the kitchen should also be locked regularly.
5. When eating hot foods, parents should avoid letting their child tear at the tablecloth while they are eating at the table to prevent hot dishes from burning their child.
If parents are feeding their young child, they should also avoid letting the child take over the feeding utensils.
This article pertains to medical information for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on the examinations conducted in-person by a physician.