Mommy, it hurts!

It's a nightmare for any parent -- your child has gotten burnt. Now what do you do?

The first thing you want to do is to remove any clothing that is in close proximity to the area that's been burnt. If the fabric clings to the burn, cut around it and leave it alone. Do not pull or force the fabric away from the skin!

Unless it's an electrical burn, run cool water over it and loosely apply a dry gauze bandage. If the area that's been burnt is too large for the bandage, wrap in a clean towel or sheet. In addition to the cool water, you can also pour apple cider vinegar over the burn to help ease the pain and battle infection.

In the case of an electric burn, DO NOT RINSE WITH WATER (or apple cider vinegar). Simply wrap with gauze.

Call your pediatrician or take your child to the ER.

Of course, it goes without saying you should remain calm and not say things like, "Oh no, you're going to have ugly scars," okay?

Other than reacting badly and saying stupid things, there are a couple of other things you should not do. Do not:

• put any type of ointment on the burn. Forget some of the old-fashioned ways here -- like putting butter on the burn. It will make things worse! Also avoid applying ice, vitamin E, antibiotic creams, aloe or any lotions at all. Wait for instruction from your doctor before applying anything other than cool, not cold, water, apple cider vinegar and dry gauze.
• poke at or pop any blisters that may form. Period.
• hesitate to call 911. If you think it's an emergency, treat it as such.

I do want to point out, just in case you're confused, that no, it is not Vinegar Friday. I'm just sharing a bonus vinegar tip this week.

I hope you never have to use any of these suggestions, but if you or your child is ever burned, I hope you'll find some relief by following these tips.

Keeping it healthy,

Hana