In 2013, Paramedics attended 535 cases of burns across NSW. About 200 of these cases were to babies and toddlers with hot beverages accounting for most scalds in children.
Always turn saucepan handles towards the wall (away from grabbing hands!)
It is never easy to witness a child or baby in pain or in danger, and unfortunately throughout my career I have responded to more burns on children than I care to remember. The one thing I found surprising was most parents were unsure what to do in the event of a burn. I was even surprised to discover that old wives tales such as putting butter on a burn was still believed or that the treatment of ice cubes to a burn would improve the pain. Having the correct knowledge is vital for babies and children as they have years of growing ahead of them and the importance of correct treatment is critical in helping reduce scarring and hopefully reduce the potential for skin graphs as they grow.
Along with the knowledge of how to treat a burn, I also believe its important to teach our little ones from a early age the danger of burns. I remember doing this with my son when he was roughly 18 months old, I took him over to our oil heater, which was on low heat to be unpleasant to touch but not hot enough to burn. I placed his finger on the heater and quickly removed it, he looked at me, and I said to him ‘hot’. I then took him to the fridge and pulled out a bag of frozen peas and let him touch them and said ‘cold’. From then on when ever I had something hot out like a cup of coffee or my hair straightener, I would tell him it was ‘hot’ and he never inquisitively tried to grab at it. Even to this day if he sees me making a tea he tells me, ‘careful mummy its hot’.
As much as we can try to prevent these things happening, an accident is an accident and sometimes unavoidable. If your child is ever involved in an burn or scald please follow the guidelines below:
Paramedics advise the following to prevent liquid burns in children.
- Check bath water before placing a child in the bath to ensure it is a safe temperature.
- Keep hot liquids out of children’s reach.
- Do not leave saucepan handles hanging over the edge of a stove, or kettle cords within reach.
If a person is burned:
- Dial 000 immediately and ask for Ambulance. Be mindful of any dangers to yourself and the patient.
- Cool the burn area with plenty of cool running water, for at least 20 minutes, remove all clothing unless its starting to stick.
- DO NOT apply ointment, cream or butter to the affected area. Please DO NOT break any blisters.
- If possible remove nappies and jewellery from burn areas.
- DO NOT allow the patient to start shivering from excessively cold water.
(*Statistics from prime7 news article)
Has your child even been burnt or scaled? Did you know what to do?
