Burns in babies
There are several degrees of burns, but even the smallest of them can be quite complicated, because pain and burning are simply unbearable for a child. Therefore, in case of a burn, it is imperative to call a doctor or take the child to the hospital. Before the arrival of the doctors, hold the burned place under an ice stream of water for a few minutes, and then smear it with petroleum jelly, vegetable oil or butter. At the site of the burn blisters may form, which subsequently burst and turn into wounds. If an infection gets into the wound, inflammation may occur.
Self-treatment of such burns is not recommended, but if there is no other way out, you should handle the burned area as carefully as possible. No need to break through or pierce the blisters – when the burn begins to heal, they will blow themselves off and liquid will come out of them. If the blister has broken, it is necessary to cut the skin with scissors or forceps, sterilized in boiling water for 10 minutes, trying not to hurt the child. After that, you need to apply a bandage, lubricated with petroleum jelly.
If an infection gets burned, the skin around it becomes red and swollen, and pus appears on the wound itself. In this case, be sure to consult a doctor. A wet dressing can be applied to an infected wound. To do this, take the gauze, fold it several times to get a thick pad, moisten it with saline solution – one tablespoon of salt per cup of boiled water – and gently apply to the wound. Every hour you need to moisten the dressing with saline. So that it does not dry so quickly, you can put a piece of polyethylene on top of it. It is not recommended to treat wounds with antiseptic or iodine for burns.
Sunburns are very frequent, especially in the first hot days of summer. In order to get such a burn, it is enough to be under the sun for half an hour. It is important to take into account that sunburns are invisible immediately, they appear some time after being in the sun. Therefore, it is better to avoid direct exposure to ultraviolet rays, or to start sunbathing with a short stay in open spaces, gradually increasing this time as the child’s skin becomes accustomed to the effects of the sun.
At first, you do not need to completely undress the baby. During tanning it is necessary to use special protective creams. If the burn could not be avoided, you should smear the cream of the child with sour cream or petroleum jelly and consult a doctor, especially if there are signs of a moderate burn: chills, fever, nausea and diarrhea.
