Parent to parent, we all know that kids do a lot of tearing around the house or running in the garden. Sometimes, they zig when they should have zagged. Tears result, running to mommy and then the parent (you) must assess the damage! Perhaps you remember being that kid a few times growing up and have the scars on the knees to prove it?
In this article, we address some of the more common accidents that befall kids and how you might handle them as a parent. If you do need to speak to a doctor, but can never remember what the doctor said, don't worry, there's an app for that.
Tripping Up and Falling Down Children are growing all the time. This means they tend to trip up due to the changes in the length of their legs. Also, they have less experience with what their own capabilities are.
Sometimes they try to do too much like attempting to leap over a flower bed when running around the garden and don’t quite make it. They end up pulling a muscle and get a couple of thorns in the side of their leg for their trouble too!
Cuts and scrapes are easy to treat. They’re painful but as long as they’ve only taken the top layer of skin off, then cleaning the cut with a disinfectant and applying a bandage is usually enough. This avoids an infection setting in, which is the greater concern. Muscle strains are painful, but they heal up.
Injuring a Knee Playing sports or another physical activity where your child hurts their knee should be taken more seriously. They may have tweaked their knee a little or it could have been put out of position.
With any knee sprain, it’s worth getting early treatment to check for any serious issues. Failing to get any knee problems addressed while they’re still young could lead to long-term difficulties with walking and stability.
With a visit to the Urgency Room, which has multiple care centers in Minnesota, a physician can see your son or daughter quickly. They can then provide an initial assessment and order any tests required to confirm their initial diagnosis. That way, your child will be up and around again in no time.
Knocking Objects onto Themselves Being smaller in stature, children often fail to consider (or cannot see) what is above them. As a result, they often knock things down which can fall on their bodies. As a parent, you can try to avoid this by not placing items higher up but it’s often what gets forgotten that’s the problem.
Should your child report that an object fell on them, check where they have been hit and how severe it is. If it fell on their head, sit them down and see how they’ve been affected by it. If you’re worried, get help as brain injuries can be very serious. As for items falling on limbs, check for differences between bruising versus broken bones. An ice pack to reduce swelling is useful to see if this cuts down inflammation. If the pain doesn’t gradually subside or if medical attention for a broken bone is required, don’t wait.
Bear in mind that most kids, especially boys, fall down many times and get back up again. Usually, their boisterousness doesn’t result in major injuries, but all parents should remain vigilant just in case.
