Treating Summer Injuries

Common Childhood Injuries & How to Treat Them

With summer in full swing, it’s the perfect opportunity to get the whole families outdoors. We know that physical activities like riding a bike, playing sports and swimming stimulate your child’s imagination in addition to being great options for exercise. We also know that such activities can also lead to nasty injuries. After all, everyone has at least one story of how they injured themselves during childhood. As a parent, the best thing you can do in these situations is to make sure you are prepared for whatever comes your way. In this blog, we’ve broken down how to deal with the most common kid injuries.

Jammed Fingers

A jammed finger is typically a sprain to the joint or knuckle of the finger. You are probably pretty familiar with how this type of injury feels, as it is fairly common - although typically minor. Look out for symptoms including redness and swelling, mild pain and stiffness as identifiers of a jammed finger. The duration and severity of these symptoms depend on how bad the injury is, but if your child’s pain is intense or lasts more than 24 hours, take them to a doctor. 

Potential causes of a jammed finger can vary. This injury is very common for kids who play sports, especially basketball, baseball or volleyball, where a stray hand has the potential to absorb the impact of the ball. Jammed fingers can also occur when a door or drawer is closed on a finger or when your child puts down their hand to break a fall. 

The best way to treat a jammed finger at home is by following RICE. This acronym stands for:

• Rest: Avoid allowing your child to use the hand in any other physical activities until the sprain has healed.
• Ice: Ice is extremely helpful for reducing swelling and redness. Apply for 15 minutes at a time for the first 24 hours of injury or until the swelling goes down.
• Compression: You can genty wrap your child’s finger with a compression bandage in order to reduce swelling and aid healing. This option can be good for parents who cannot always be there to watch over their child and make sure they are not using their sprained finger!
• Elevation: Rest your child’s hand on a pillow in which their elbow is lower than the affected hand. This will work to reduce inflammation and pain. 

Please note that it’s important to see a doctor if the finger appears crooked, your child develops a fever following the injury, the swelling worsens despite home remedies or the pain increases. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Scraped Knees

Scraped knees are one of the most common injuries for your child, as they can easily take a tumble while riding a bike or falling down on concrete. Thankfully, they are fairly easy to treat and usually minor. However, it is very important to complete the necessary treatment steps at home so that the scrape does not become infected. 

Every household should have the following products to treat a scraped knee:

• Gauze
• Antibiotic ointment
• Bandages

The very first thing to do when your child comes to you with a scrape is to wash your own hands. Hands carry a lot of germs, and an infection of this injury would be the worst case scenario. Next, use gauze to stem the bleeding, if necessary. Gently apply pressure to the wound until the bleeding stops. Then, apply an antibiotic ointment to the injury. This step is the most effective way to prevent an infection, so be sure not to skip it! Finally, add a bandage on top of the wound. Gently wash the skinned knee each day, changing the bandage every time you do so. 

Throughout the healing process, it’s important to watch for infection. Signs of infection include:

• Yellow or green drainage
• Worsening redness
• Swelling or pain
• Heat radiating around the wound

If these symptoms are present, please consult a doctor for treatment. 

Head Injuries

These types of injuries can be tricky, as there are many different kinds with varying degrees of urgency. The first form of head injury to consider is bumps and cuts. It’s easy for children to get minor wounds to the face if they are distracted while playing. Although these injuries may seem frightening, they are thankfully usually minor and able to be treated at home. 

Similar to a scraped knee, you’ll need to stop the bleeding by applying pressure with a clean cloth. Wash the area well with soap and water, then apply antiseptic cream. Be sure to cover the area with a bandage to make sure it does not worsen. 

Similarly, minor bumps are fairly common and usually nothing to worry about. Apply ice to the bump for 15 minutes at a time and monitor your child’s behavior. However, some head injuries can cause serious consequences if left untreated. If you see your child exhibit multiple of the following symptoms, take him or her to the doctor immediately:

• Severe bleeding
• Severe headache
• Fluctuating consciousness
• Confusion
• Loss of balance
• Unequal pupil size
• Slurred speech
• Repeated vomiting

These symptoms could be signs of a more serious injury such as a concussion. 

Burns

Burns are most commonly caused by hot cooking surfaces, fires or even the sun. The first step in treating these injuries is to know what type of burn is present. Burn injuries are rated from first to third degree, depending on the severity. Each type is treated differently, so it is important to know the differences between the three. 

A first-degree burn is known as a superficial burn. These are the mildest type of burn, as they only affect the top layer of skin. This type of burn results in pain and reddening of the skin. Superficial burns can easily be treated at home with products like aloe vera or ointment. If your child continues to be uncomfortable due to the pain, you can give them pain medication. 

Second-degree burns are slightly more intense. In addition to pain and redness, swelling and blistering is also present.

Did you know the sun can cause these types of painful burns? To avoid painful second-degree burns and exposure to harmful UV rays that can result in cancers later in life, be sure to use sunscreen when allowing your child to play outdoors. 

Second-degree burns typically require a prescription for creams or ointments to more effectively treat the injury. 

Other Preventable Injuries

Most of the injuries your kids encounter will be minor, however, every parent should be equipped with the full knowledge to make the best decisions for their children’s wellbeing. Drowning and poisoning are among two of the most deadly injuries children can receive. In fact, one in five of those that die from drowning are children under 14. See below for resources to educate yourself on water safety and poison prevention:

• Water Safety: Protect your child from drowning
• Infant Self-Rescue
• Child Poison Prevention

School Emergency Preparation

In any emergency, the key to your survival success is preparedness. By preparing for a range of potential emergency events and equipping yourself or your home with proper emergency essentials, you'll be able to maximize your success whether you need to evacuate your home, stay while an emergency passes, or you become trapped. You don't have to purchase thousands of dollars with of survival products to maximize success in an emergency. The foundation of preparedness is simply a plan.

You and your family may already have a plan in the event a disaster should occur and you're all at home or on the road together, however, it's just as important to have a plan should you not be in the same area. While you might initially find it difficult to begin the conversation about emergencies with our children, having these conversations early and regularly will equip them with essential knowledge for survival when you're not around.

The end of summer brings a range of changes, and one of these is the start of a new school year. Your child might be starting school for the first time or returning for his or her second, third, or fourth year already. Regardless of age, now is a good time to help your kids prepare for emergencies. Power begins with knowledge, so to start it's important to simply teach your children about disasters that could occur in your area.
Your family should already have a fire emergency evacuation plan in place at home and practice drills at school, however, many drills neglect to prepare children fully for a range of emergencies in ways that help them to think critically about their own safety or the safety of others when an event occurs.
Teach your children about natural hazards that can occur while they're at school in ways they can understand, then make a plan they can follow and practice its steps regularly. It's important not to overwhelm or frighten your children with information; break your lessons about emergencies up into small increments to help them first learn about the disaster and then how to appropriately respond to it.
There is a wide range of literature and other media available for parents and their children, including this fun game powered by ready.gov, which lets children test their natural disaster knowledge online.


Involving your children in every step of the process will allow them to feel a sense of pride and responsibility. By giving your children digestible and age-appropriate information, and allowing them to help in each step of the planning process, you will help them to act safely and responsibly should an emergency occur.
Together with your child, create an official communications plan, identify what should go into an

emergency kit and practice and revise your plans and kits to improve them along the way. Help your child create proper responses for a range of emergency cases such as fires, earthquakes or extreme weather, including how to find alternate routes for escape or what it takes to staying in place if escape isn’t possible.
A simple emergency kit such as this one provides 43 oz. of water, an emergency blanket, one glow stick, nine wet wipes and a 2,400-calorie food bar. This affordable kit can easily be stowed in a locker or desk and made accessible should an emergency occur.

Talking to your child about an active shooting scenario is an unfortunate but necessary part of today's student life. While this type of emergency situation is doubtlessly not comparable to a natural disaster and may be much more difficult to talk about, preparing for it is not dissimilar to preparing for an earthquake or a tornado. Learning about natural disasters has significant applications for managing an attack caused by humans. The key for both is to be prepared.

This situation in which your child may be locked down with other students for extended periods of time can be unsettling for children and parents. Listen to your child’s fears and validate his or her responses. Teddy is Ready provides information for parents regarding how to prepare children for active shooters.

Talk to your school about providing lockdown kits to each classroom in order to minimize additional trauma case of classroom confinement. These affordable all-in-one kits provide bathroom essentials when regular facilities are unavailable.
For any disaster, it's important to create a plan that takes various possible obstacles into account and practices a safe evacuation for each. Your plan should look at alternate routes for escape as well as safe meeting places to reunite with teachers or family. A good communications system will keep everyone updated and away from danger. Finally, discuss the possibility of sheltering in place, if evacuation isn't possible or too risky.

Product Review: Student Emergency Kit

As members of the senior class of 2017 gear up to enter a new chapter in their lives, parents all across America are scrambling to make preparations. From living arrangements to school supplies, there's a lot that goes into adequately preparing for the first year of college. If you're a parent of a graduating teen this year, you may also be dealing with the natural fear of sending your child into the world alone. At home, you've made an emergency plan and stacked supplies for your family, but the dorm room won't be equipped with these things.

Our Student Emergency Kit contains everything your student will need to sustain himself or herself for three days in the event of an emergency. This handy cardboard box is extremely compact and affordable, making it easy to stock several in various convenient places.

Instruct your student to keep one in an easily accessible place in his or her room while keeping another in the car. In case of an emergency, this kit will provide six 4.227-oz. U.S. Coast Guard-approved water packages, each with a five-year shelf life, an emergency blanket, one glow stick, nine wet wipes and a 2,400-calorie food bar.

Because this kit contains only the essentials, it's versatile enough to be used in a variety of situations. Keep one in the car for yourself, pack it away in a suitcase when traveling or keep one at the winter cabin. Everything the Student Emergency Kit contains is resistant to hot or cold temperatures and can be safely kept for up to five years!