First aid manual for kids

This article will assist you in teaching your child some basic first aid. First things first. If you can only teach your child ONE thing, it should be to stay calm in an emergency. When panic sets in, many times multiple people will be injured instead of just one. Things can go from bad to much worse if you panic. Injuries can be scary, so staying calm is easier said than done.

In any situation, the first and most important thing to do is to assess the situation. When something scary happens, one way to slow down panic is to count backward in your head before acting.

Also, practicing deep breathing big breath in through your nose, out through your mouth can have a calming effect on our bodies. One of the best ways to teach children first aid is through scenarios and role play.

Be aware that scenarios involving mom or dad getting hurt can cause anxiety in children; so try to keep it light-hearted and not super scary.

Explain the situation and ask your child what to do first. Always remind them to take some time to fully assess the situation and think about it before acting or blurting out an action plan.

This will remind your child to stop the panic and think. While jumping on rocks, climbing trees, or making marshmallow sticks; scrapes and cuts are some of the most common injuries of children. Most of these will be minor and washing with soap and water and keeping it clean will aid in healing.

A SteriStrip can be used in place of stitches in a pinch. Say your child fell and hit her head on a rock and now has a two-inch long gash that is 2cm deep and looks like it will need stitches. A SteriStrip will do wonders until you can seek proper medical attention.

We recommend keeping SteriStrips in your first aid kit and practice using them and let the kids practice before you ever need to use them in real life. What is camping without a fire? We all love sitting around a campfire, telling stories and roasting marshmallows! These nostalgic moments can be cut short if someone touches a burning stick or spills a hot meal or drink on themselves.

A burn is essentially your flesh cooking, and it is very painful. To stop the pain, you must stop the cooking. Your first instinct may be to run to the nearest ice-cold stream and place the affected body part in the water. However, you can actually do more harm that way. Very cold water can constrict the bloodflow and cause damage to the surrounding tissues. If you or your child gets a small burn, apply a clean, cool but not ice cold wet towel or sheet to the affected area to cool it down and keep it clean.

Do not apply a tight dressing over a burn, as it can attach to the flesh and peel away tissue upon removal. Clear away any hanging or dead tissue with clean scissors or nail clippers. Then, apply an antibiotic ointment, and a clean dry bandage or gauze. This only applies to small burns. For larger and more serious burns, you need to seek medical attention right away. Prevention of burns is something worthwhile to teach children.

Some burn prevention basics are:. Also, be aware of basic and sometimes innocuous looking items that can cause burns. However, there are metal elements that heat quickly and can cause burns. We love our JetBoil , but it can be very dangerous for little ones.

Be aware and cautious about any item that gets hot or is used in cooking. If you get new camping cooking equipment, be sure to test it out and know how it works before letting your kids try it. It is so fun to learn about a new piece of equipment together — review the dangers and read the instructions. Unfortunately, twisted ankles ligaments stretching or tearing are a common injury for children and adults. Running, jumping, climbing, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, you name it…all put you at an elevated risk for a sprained ankle.

Getting your children into the habit of wearing stable footwear while enjoying outdoor activities is the best way to prevent such injuries. However, if you or your child gets injured, these steps can help them get to medical care safely. First, have them sit in a safe place and take off their shoes and socks. This allows you to look at both feet and ankles together — for comparison.

The injured ankle may be bruised or swollen, and painful. Check for a broken bone. Keep the injury resting with no pressure put on it. If there is not an obvious broken bone, apply ice or a cold pack for 20 minutes.

This can help with swelling and pain. Another option would be to place the foot and ankle in a cold stream or lake — the cold water will do the same thing. Next, elevate the affected area. This will also help reduce swelling. After a period of rest, the next step is to assess the range of motion.

Move the foot up and down, and side to side. If there is minimal pain and swelling, and if the person can move the ankle through the full range of motion, likely the injury can be treated in the field with athletic tape and you can head back to your home or vehicle to continue resting. Or if you have a SamSplint more on this near the end of the article , you can use that.

Step 1: To tape an unstable ankle, first, wrap a piece of tape completely around the leg about two inches above the ankle bone. This is called the landmark tape.

Step 1 — Apply athletic tape as a landmark; 2 inches above ankle bone. Step 2: Apply three additional pieces of tape in a U-shape like a stirrup to support the foot. Start at the landmark tape, then pull the tape below the foot and up the other side. Cut the tape and repeat twice, overlapping the tape. Accidents will always happen, but the most important thing is how you handle them. Here are some tips to keep you safe if you are in need of first aid, and what to do if you need to administer first aid to someone else.

Medical Guide: First Aid for Kids! What is First Aid Since you can never know when someone will get hurt, it is really important to know how to put together a great first aid kit, and how to use what is in it. The first thing you need to know, though, is what first aid is. First aid is any help you give to someone who is injured to help them fix the problem. It is possible that what you do could save someone's life, but more likely you're going to help them with small accidents.

In that case, you'll need to call someone to help, like a doctor or a paramedic. Of course, dialing will always get you to the people you need, so that's a good start. The same rule applies if they experience persistent nausea or vomiting, double or blurred vision, numbness or tingling in an extremity, or confusion or dizziness. Once you get to the hospital, a doctor will make sure that there's no swelling or bleeding in the brain and evaluate your child for a possible concussion, says Michael Carius, M.

Do have your kid tilt their head forward slightly, and then use a towel or a wad of tissue to pinch their nose tightly just below the nasal bone.

Squirting just a little Afrin Original Nasal Spray into each nostril could help too. Hold this position for ten to 15 minutes to try to stop the bleeding. Be patient! An hour or so after the nosebleed stops and a clot forms, you can dab Vaseline on the inside of the nostril to keep it moist. Don't allow your child to lean back. If they do, blood could go down their throat and into their stomach, which can make them throw up.

Discourage them from blowing their nose for several hours, as even a short, gentle blow can trigger the bleeding again. Don't stuff tissue or cotton up their nostril either! Get help if the bleeding doesn't stop within 30 minutes or if your kid's nose looks out of place and you suspect that it's broken; head to the E.

Do hold the area under a cool tap for ten to 15 minutes to cool the skin, ease pain, and halt inflammation, says Seth Podolsky, M.

For the next 24 to 48 hours, you can repeat this process as much as needed, or substitute ice wrapped in a towel. Next, apply an antibiotic ointment such as bacitracin to soothe the burn and help skin cells regenerate, Dr. Carius says. If you think your child is still in pain, you can also give them acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

But if a blister forms, let it be: That bubble is a barrier that helps prevent infection. Once the blister pops on its own, apply an antibiotic ointment and a clean bandage.

Don't use vitamin E or butter—both of these can be irritating. And never place ice directly on a burn; doing so can cause tissue damage. Get help if your child's skin looks very angry, splotchy, wet, or waxy, or if they can't move it. They may have a severe burn that requires prompt medical attention. You should also go straight to the E.

Do flush the wound with tap water and soap, dab on an antibiotic ointment, and put on a bandage. If you see blood through the bandage, then apply direct pressure for 15 minutes and elevate the injured area above the heart to stop the bleeding, Dr. Hogrefe says.

Don't clean a bad cut with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or Betadine an antiseptic. Alcohol stings like mad which makes for an unhappy kiddo , and hydrogen peroxide and Betadine can damage skin, preventing healing.