Continuing our quick series on summer safety for sitters, we’ve got some info on how to handle first-, second- and third-degree burns.

To get info about these burn treatments, we thought who better to reach out to than a doctor-and-nurse team with kids of their own? Our friends over at Baby MEDBASICS fit the bill and they gave us this helpful info, right out of their must-have emergency guide for parents and sitters. (Get yours here.)

And now, on to the tips!

First-Degree Burns

First-degree burns are the most mild of the burns and can be caused by spilled hot water or sunburn.

1. Cool the burn with cool running water. (Avoid ice and ice water.)
2. It’s acceptable to use aloe to soothe the burn, but don’t apply butter or oils.
3. Loosely cover the burn with a clean gauze pad. (Avoid anything adhesive.)
4. If you have permission from the parents, give ibuprofen (if older than 6 months of age) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to alleviate the child’s pain.
5. Check the burn for infection every day.

Second- and Third-Degree Burns

Second-degree burns produce blisters, severe pain and redness, while third-degree burns can make the skin look waxy white, leathery, brown or charred.

A physician should evaluate all second- and third-degree burns.

1. Cool the burn with running water.
2. Leave blisters in tact until seen by a doctor (they act as a barrier to infection).
3. Cover all burns with a clean bandage, and call the parents and doctor.
4. If you have permission from the parents, give ibuprofen (if older than 6 months of age) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to alleviate the child’s pain.
5. Check the burn for infection every day.

Summer Safety for Sitters Series:
Bee Stings

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 5th, 2009 at 10:03 am and is filed under Child Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.