It is a horrible feeling to see your child in pain. When a child is hurt, parents want to help as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they sometimes fall back on first aid remedies that are no longer considered safe or effective. There are several things parents should avoid when their children are hurt.
Anyone who has ever scraped a knee knows that the first instinct is to blow on it. the rushing of air over the cut can calm the nerves for a split second and make the pain seem to go away. The problem with this that blowing on a cut or scrape can blow germs right into the open wound, increasing the likelihood for infection.
Washing these same wounds with warm soap and water is the recommended way to go for taking care of them. Even using a substance like peroxide or rubbing alcohol is frowned upon these days. Not only does it kill the germs, it can kill the god tissue inside the wound that will heal the most quickly.
Many parents were taught by their own grandparents that butter should be applied to burns to heal them more quickly and prevent infection. However, butter actually helps create a great environment for bacteria to grow and can cause burns to become infected.
Covering a new burn with aloe is not recommended either as it can trap heat under the layer of aloe and actually cause a burn to blister, even if it would not have done so originally.
If parents have concerns about a child’s injury, reacting on instinct is not always the best idea. If in doubt, it is always best to take the child to a doctor.