The Mom's Book of Worries

My son was going out to play in the backyard to the sandbox while I finished up supper. I know how much trouble little ones can get into and how fast so I was on my way to make sure he was indeed still there when screaming came to my attention outside in the driveway.

 He was holding his hand up to me saying he had hurt his "pingers". Knowing what a drama king my little prince can be I was betting there would be nothing but a scrape on his fingers. But I soon encountered the dreaded smell of burnt flesh.

Have you ever had the displeasure of being accosted with that aroma? Oh my! I've smelled it before when his father had a brush fire accident and now our son was sporting a new scorch mark. His first trauma.

It didn't take long to get him inside, treated and soaking in cool water. For first degree (minor) burns such as these it is always best to run cool water over it, make sure it's clean and soak in cool to tepid water for at least 5 minutes. Then lightly dry and apply antibiotic ointment and gauze wrappings. My trooper wouldn't have anything covering it, so I've just been treating it with antibiotic ointment. (There are new ones out that sport lidocaine mixtures)

His blister is the perfect reflection of a car's cigarette lighter. He told me later that Granny's car is dangerous and he would leave it alone from now on! There is danger everywhere outside and parked cars that are unlocked are no exception. I was so scared and so lucky it wasn't worse. In just a few minutes he had taught us both a lesson in the dangers of your own back yard.

Just FYI, he had pain for about 15 minutes, then relaxed and was back to playing as usual. A day later he has that lovely blister and the need to scratch. It is still being treated to prevent infection, and will be until the blister is gone and new skin all in it's place.

Some First Degree Burn Rules:
NEVER pop a blister, it is the body's way of healing and is better than anything man could produce.

NEVER apply butter to a burn!! This used to be a Mom's first line of defense. It feels good at first but can trap heat inside the burn.

NEVER apply ice directly to the burn!! Just cool water. The water should be comfortably cool, not too cold.

If the burn is chemical, electrical, or larger than an inch get them to a doctor to be checked out.

I hope this helps someone else out there. I strive to always stay calm and assess every situation with a Mother's heart and a nurse's eye. In your situations, keeping a level head will help get fast results and a much calmer child.