Child safety -- sometimes it's a matter of life or death ... part 2

On Tuesday, I posted part 1 of this Child Safety topic. Today, I want to focus on some other important issues facing parents and caregivers -- burns, poisoning, bleeding and head injuries.

Burns

My mother was babysitting my 3-year-old nephew one evening over 30 years ago. My sister had a Hot Shot (a device used for boiling a cup of water to make instant coffee or tea) located low enough for Peter to reach. Mom poured the water in, hit the 'heat' button and then went to answer the phone.

Peter, being the sweet, helpful child he was, decided to fill Grandma's cup when the light went out, indicating it was done. He reached up and pulled down on the 'pour' button ... a bit too hard. The Hot Shot tipped and dumped a cup of boiling water down Peter's bare chest and stomach.

Can you imagine the horror of this ... especially for a grandmother?!

I don't know what my mom did initially, but I do know Peter was taken to the ER and, amazingly enough, did not have any scarring.

Burns are one of the most painful injuries a child can experience. As a parent, your first inclination is to do whatever it takes to ease the pain. You may reach for butter or aloe or vitamin E ... or any number of other home remedies you've heard are good for burns. STOP! While I may be a huge fan of home remedies, this is one time you want to ignore all the well-meaning advice you've heard about this! Do not apply ointment of any kind to the burn!

Instead, rinse the burned area with cool, not cold, water and then wrap the burn with dry gauze or a clean towel or sheet. Then get your child to the hospital!

One exception to this is in the case of an electrical burn (you know, when Timmy plugs something wet into a socket!). Do not apply water to an electrical burn! Simply wrap it and head to the hospital.

Do not pop any blisters that may result from burns!

Poisoning

Mr. Yuk is around for a reason!

One day, back in 1986 or so, my husband was watching the kids (who were 4 and 2), as he often did. I came home and asked how they were.

"They're fine," he answered, then casually added, "Jessica drank a bottle of Murine, but she's fine."

She what?! After learning that he didn't even bother to call the Poison Control Center, I picked up the phone.

"Get her to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible," the nurse told me. "We've had infants die from just a few drops of that stuff."

I was out the door so fast, with strict instructions to my clueless husband not to follow me! I was scared and furious.

How often had I told him not to leave his eye drops within reach of the children?!

As it turns out, after drinking a carton of activated charcoal-flavored chocolate milk, Jessica was fine. But it doesn't always turn out that way.

If you know, or even if you simply suspect, your child has ingested anything other than food, call the Poison Control Center (800-222-1222). Don't wait to see if he'll be alright. Time is of the essence here ... it could make the difference between life and death! It's always better to be safe than to be sorry.

Do not try to induce vomiting or give your child activated charcoal (or syrup of ipecac) to avoid a trip to the ER!! You don't know which method is necessary for the type of poisoning that may have occurred!!

Bleeding

Yeah, I have a story about this as well. It has to do with my husband, once again. My husband, our two daughters and a swingset.

Jim took the kids to the park and I had some much-needed alone time at home. Heavenly. And then it happened. He walked through the door and told me we had to get to the hospital. My back was to him and my heart skipped for a second. As I turned, it nearly stopped. His yellow t-shirt was covered in blood ... 2-year-old Jessica's blood.

Have you ever had a moment like that?

Apparently, Bethany and Jessica were on the swings. Jim took Jess out of the infant swing and put her on the ground, where she immediately walked right into the path of her sister's swing as it sailed backwards. Bam! Right in the face. Jess still bears the scar from the stitches she had to get that day.

If your child has been injured and is bleeding, it is important to clean the wound, using only soap and water. Then apply firm pressure with something clean (a towel or some gauze). If the bleeding seeps through the cloth, do not remove it! Just add something on top of it and continue applying direct pressure until help arrives. If there is any way to elevate the wounded area, carefully do so.

Do not apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding!

Do not try to remove anything embedded in the wound (glass, stones, nails, etc.)

Head injury

No stories for this one ... thank God! If your little one has fallen and hit her head, or has been in a car or bicycle accident, and she's not quite alert, do not move her! Try to stabilize her head, neck and spine as best you can without moving her, and make an attempt at staying calm while waiting for the ambulance.

Do not transport your child to the hospital yourself! Wait for an ambulance to arrive.


I'm truly hoping you never have to face any of the above issues. But there are some of us who are on first-name basis with our local ER. Before you join those ranks, it's best to know what to do when if.

Caring for your kids ... and you,

Hana

Child safety ... sometimes it is a matter of life or death

Child abuse cases often make the headlines or evening news. Especially when they're extreme. But kids can get hurt and be in life-threatening circumstances while doing the simplest of things ... like eating. And there's no abuse involved. But if a parent or caretaker doesn't know what to do, the results can be just as devastating.

So I thought I'd go over some basics with you. These are things every parent and grandparent should know.

Heimlich Maneuver

Kids choke sometimes. That's just the way it is. Whether they're eating things that are high on the choking hazard list (like hot dogs, grapes, goldfish-shaped crackers, peanuts, hard candy, etc.) or simply popping things into their mouths they shouldn't be (like marbles, coins, beads, etc.), the fact is, they can choke. That's why you need to know what to do. It's also why you shouldn't feed your child in the car or any other place where you cannot watch him the entire time he is eating!

Here are the steps for babies under 1 who are conscious:

• Immediately place him facedown on your forearm. Support his neck and chin with your fingers and make sure his head is lower than his chest.
• Lightly, but firmly, give him 5 quick blows to his back between his shoulder blades using the heel of your hand.
• If nothing comes out of the baby's mouth, turn him over and lay him faceup on a hard surface (table or floor).
• Using 2 fingers, give him 5 quick thrusts in the middle of his breastbone, just below nipple level.
• Repeat both processes until the object comes out, or breathing resumes.

If the baby loses consciousness, begin CPR immediately. Here is a link to an online video demonstration on how to perform CPR on infants.

For children over 1, the Heimlich is a bit different. After all, it would be tough to lay your 6-year-old along your forearm, wouldn't it?

• Depending on your child's height, stand or kneel behing her and wrap your arms around her.
• Place your fist right above her belly button.
• With your free hand, grab your fist give quick upward thrusts.
• Continue thrusting until the object is dislodged.

Again, if your child is not conscious, start CPR right away, looking for the object lodged in her mouth between rescue breaths. As CPR is somewhat different for children over 1, here is a link to a video for CPR for children.

According to Nicholas Tsarouhas, M.D., associate medical director of the emergency department at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "Always have your child evaluated after any near-choking incident."

On Thursday, I'll post some of the other potential hazards you need to be on top of, from poisoning to burns.

Caring for your children ... and  you,

Hana

Safety should always be our primary concern

Did you know...

• There are no government controls on the chemicals used in disposable diapers?
• A German study on disposable diapers a decade ago revealed a link between the use of disposables with fertility issues in men as well as testicular cancer, with suppositions that the wearing of disposable diapers interferred with the proper development of a boy's reproductive system?
• Some of the medical issues reported with direct links to disposable diapers include: chemical burns and choking (from children ripping apart their diapers and putting the plastic in their noses and mouths)?
• There is a definite correlation between disposable diapers and the development of asthma?

While I'm mentioning asthma, allow me to digress a bit. If you have children and you're choosing to smoke around them, I personally consider this to be child abuse. I've been very disturbed lately to see fathers walking along with a carseat in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Or mothers pushing strollers one-handed as they sucked in and exhaled smoke. What is wrong with this picture, folks? You have a child now....GROW UP!

And while I'm on this subject, driving with kids of any age in the car while smoking a cigarette is just wrong. I see it, I can't believe it, and yes, I'm judging it. Second-hand smoke is dangerous and you shouldn't be exposing your children (or non-smoking spouse) to it.

Anyway, these were just some random thoughts about the safety of babies and children. The only reason I'm bringing them up is because I care.

Keeping it healthy,

Hana