What to do if your baby breaks his skin and bleeds

When babies are still relatively small, they cannot walk very steadily, so they often fall when playing outside. This way, it is easy for the delicate skin to be harmed. The most common situation that parents encounter is that their baby breaks the skin and bleeds. Generally speaking, for minor skin breaks and bleeding, parents can stop the bleeding, disinfect and bandage the area, but if the bleeding does not stop, it is best to go to the hospital to stop the bleeding.

For obvious bleeding after abrasion, wash your hands and press the wound tightly with sterilized gauze for 5 to 15 minutes.

Cleaning the wound

After stopping the bleeding, rinse the wound with clean water or saline. If conditions do not allow, use running tap water to wash away dirt on the surface of the wound.

Disinfection and medication

After cleaning the wound, use a cotton swab dipped in iodine (or iodine cotton swab) to disinfect it, then apply a breathable Band-Aid to prevent the wound from contacting other dirt. If the wound is slightly red and swollen and you suspect it may be infected, you can apply some anti-inflammatory ointment on the wound.

You should go to an emergency department if any of the following occur:

1. Bleeding occurs in a jet-like manner or cannot be stopped by pressure;

2. The abrasion wound is deep or the fat and muscle are exposed at the wound;

3. Dirt on the wound cannot be removed;

4. The wound does not heal for a long time or becomes red, swollen and painful.

Common misunderstandings in the treatment of skin abrasions: using red and gentian violet for disinfection

Mercurochrome contains mercury ions, and people who are allergic to mercury may develop contact dermatitis; excessive use of mercurochrome may also lead to mercury poisoning and other problems. In addition, gentian violet has certain potential carcinogenicity, and it will also affect the healing of deeper wounds because the wounds scab over too quickly.

The medicines available for use after abrasion include alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, and iodine tincture. However, considering the irritation, pigmentation and other issues, iodine tincture is the best choice for superficial abrasions.

Many people are accustomed to applying some salt, flour, toothpaste or soy sauce to their children after they get their skin scratched, believing that it can reduce inflammation and relieve pain. But in fact, these things cannot stop bleeding or kill bacteria. Instead, they will irritate the wound, cause further contamination, affect wound healing, and even lead to infection.

How to prevent children from getting scratched

It is inevitable that children will get some bumps and bruises during their growth process, but this does not mean that parents can't do anything. For example, they can guide their children to do warm-up exercises before exercise to avoid falls; pay attention to interior decoration to avoid falls caused by slippery floors, etc.