Children Cuts, Scrapes & Punctures

Cuts slice the skin open.

Close a cut so it won’t get infected.

Scrapes hurt only the top part of the skin.

They can hurt more than cuts, but they heal quicker.

Punctures stab deep.

Leave punctures open so they won’t get infected.

Treatment

You can treat most cuts, scrapes, and punctures yourself. But you should take your child to the emergency room if he or she is bleeding a lot or is hurt very badly.

After bleeding for a few minutes, blood gets thicker. This is called clotting. Clotting slows down bleeding. Press on the cut to help slow down the bleeding. You may have to apply pressure for 10 minutes for a bad cut. Sometimes a cut needs stitches. Stitches help the cut heal.

Has your child passed out and/or do they look pale, feel cold, and have a weak, fast pulse?
Has the child lost a lot of blood or does blood spurt from the wound? (Put pressure on the wound while you seek medical care.)
Does the cut still bleed a lot after putting pressure on it for 10 minutes?

Fever. Sick feeling. Pain that gets worse instead of better.
Redness, swelling, tenderness at or around the wound.

Self-Care

Cuts and Scrapes

1. Wash your hands. This helps prevent infection.
2. Press on the cut to stop the bleeding. Do this for up to 10 minutes if you need to. Use sterile, wet gauze, or a clean cloth. Use a clean hand if you don’t have gauze or a cloth. (Dry gauze can stick to the wound, so try not to use it.)
3. Rinse the wound with water. Then, clean in and around the wound with soap and water.
4. Remove any dirt or debris with tweezers cleaned with alcohol.
5. Press on the cut again if it keeps bleeding. Get help if it is still bleeding after 20 minutes. Keep pressing on it while you wait for help.
6. Lift the cut higher than the child’s heart. This slows down blood flow to that spot.
7. Apply an antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly. Apply it with a sterile cloth or cotton swab. Don’t use mercurochrome, hydrogen peroxide, merthiolate, iodine, or Campho-Phenique®. All of these can slow down healing.
8. Put one or more bandages on the cut.