Photo by Chayene Rafaela
Childhood is a fun time full of climbing trees, playing on the swingset, and eating popsicles. It’s bittersweet to reminisce about childhood and think about all the fun memories. My childhood was full of walks around the block, playing house, and playing cops and robbers with the neighbor kids. I also remember getting scraped knees, bee stings, and a gnarly scar on my elbow from a bike crash. Childhoods are full of memories and accidents. Here’s how you can treat the 4 most common childhood injuries.
1) Bloody Nose
Oh, bloody noses. These pesky things might be more annoying than painful. But I guess that is determined by how you got the bloody nose. Bloody noses can be caused by a hit to the face to simply breathing in very dry air. There are several ways you can treat a bloody nose. The most important thing to remember is to have your child sit up if they have a bloody nose. If your child lays down with a bloody nose, the blood will drain down the throat instead of the nose; you do not want your child to swallow the blood. Place an icepack on the bridge of your child’s nose and have them sit still for 10-15 minutes. Bloody noses normally stop very quickly and shouldn’t cause too much alarm. When the bleeding stops, make sure your child feels okay, and then let them keep playing.
2) Scraped Knees and Elbows
There are a lot of ways to scrape up the knees and elbows. I can promise almost every child has come into the house crying over a scraped knee or elbow. Even though a scraped knee can look pretty bad, they normally aren’t something you need to rush to the doctor for. But these scrapes can really hurt, so it’s important to help your little one wash, disinfect, and cover up the scrape. Keeping the scrape covered with a bandaid while it heals is important to prevent any infections and minimal scarring.
3) Broken Arm
I don’t think I remember a single year in school where at least one kid didn’t have a broken arm. Broken arms are a common injury, especially for younger boys. Broken arms need to be treated by a pediatric doctor. Doctors will be able to determine the type of break if it needs to be rebroken, if it needs any screws, and what type of cast will help the break heal best. If your child gets a broken arm, be sure to show them some extra love as they recover because the healing process can be long, a little painful, and frustrating. Have friends and family sign their cast to help cheer your kid up. You could also help your child decorate their cast with fun stickers.
4) Bee Sting
You can get a bee sting at any age, but kids who spend a lot of time playing outside have more chances to get stung. The first step to treating a bee sting is to make sure the stinger is removed. After you are sure the stinger is removed, you can treat the sting several ways. Creating a mixture of baking soda and water and applying it to the stung area can help neutralize the bee venom and reduce pain and itching. You can also use honey or apple cider vinegar to treat a bee sting.