Burns are painful, and they damage your toddler’s skin. As most parents know, at some point your little one is likely to experience a burn. Hopefully it’s minor, but even minor burns can ache.
Here’s what you can do to help prevent them:
- Keep the handles of hot pots and pans turned toward the inside of the stovetop at all times, even when you think your child’s not around.
- Cover or barricade exposed heaters and heater grates.
Screen or barricade fireplaces, grills, and any place in your house that has a hot surface. - Set your hot water heater to 48 degrees C or lower to avoid accidental scalds.
- Test the temperature of bath water with the inside of your wrist or elbow before you put your toddler in.
- Get locking taps to prevent your child from giving herself a rinse with too-hot water.
- Get electrical cords out of the way. If your child bites them, she can get a terrible burn.
If your child does get burned and develops blisters, she has a second-degree burn.
NEVER
- Use butter, oils or ointments to cover the burn, as they may retain the heat and make the injury worse.
- Use ice or iced water as this can make the burn injury worse and also cause the child’s body temperature to drop.
DO
- Keep burn creams and wraps in the house in case of emergencies
- Take your child to your healthcare provider for proper treatment. Burns on your toddler’s hands and face also need special attention, so don’t hesitate to have them looked at, even if they’re small.
