5 First Aid Tips to Teach Kids

Kids tend to get injured very often and are usually very scared when they do. Teaching kids about basic first aids helps them calmly deal with the situation and stay safe. Here are some of the most basic first aids tips that you can begin teaching your child.

1. Calling for help: It is most important to teach kids how to call for help. This is the first line of defense. Teach them how and when to use emergency dialing. Get them to describe exactly what has happened and how to clearly communicate it to the person over the phone. Your child should know his/ her full name and the home address to help things move faster.

2. Cuts and small wounds: Teach your kids what minor cuts and wounds look like. Use instances when your kids actually end up with injuries and teach them how to tend to it. Say your child ends up with a scratched knee, explain to them exactly what you are doing and why. Tell them that first they should use water and an antiseptic liquid to clean properly. Once cleaned check for any soil or other debris. Once clear teach them to apply antibiotic cream like Neosporin and then dress the wound with bandage. Teach them that applying pressure on the wounds will usually stop bleeding.

3. Burns: In case their clothes have caught fire, teach them to immediately cover their face with their hands and then stop drop and roll immediately on the ground till the fire stops or immediately run it under water. For other kinds of burns teach them to run the burn under water for some relief. The rest of the attending to the burns should be done by an adult. They can use a medicated cream like burnol on the wounds till an adult can attend to it. Teach them to wash hands properly with antiseptic soap before and after attending to any kind of wound, open skin and bleeding.

4. Broken bones: Kids need to be taught that bones are alive and have their own blood supply. Explain to them that a broken bone is the same thing as a fracture and that it hurts a lot. In case of a fracture, the fractured body part is not to be touched and an adult is to be called immediately. Till then they can ensure that the injured part is kept still and the person comfortable. Do not let the patient eat or drink anything since a serious injury might need an operation and a filled stomach warrants delay.

5. Insect bite: Children and insect bites are a common thing but they can be a pain. Teach kids to remove the stingers by scraping it without breaking it. Their nails or a credit card can be used to scrape the sting out. Using tweezers can squeeze out more venom so avoid it.

Children are very intelligent and when taught properly can learn basic first aid properly. This not only lets you breathe a sigh of relief but also lets your child feel confident when in such a situation because they know what is happening and how to deal with it.