[Lissa]

I figured I start a new thread so we could help each other. From minor boo boos to the catastophic, share what you know and what you've found!!

Choking
Give five back blows with the heel of the hand—Lay the baby on top of your arm, with her head lower than her chest. Support baby’s head with your hand around the jaw and under the chest. Rest your arm on your thigh. Give five blows rapidly between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. Then turn the baby over.

Turn baby over between your hands—Place your free hand on baby’s back, and sandwich the child between your hands and arms. One hand holds the chest, neck and jaw while the other hand holds the back, neck and head, with her face up. Rest this arm on your thigh, so her head is lower than her chest.

Chest thrusts—Push on the chest five times with your fingertips on her breastbone. Your fingertips should be one finger-width below an imaginary line between your baby’s nipples. Your hand should come in from the side so that your fingertips run up and down the breastbone.

[mdaisyq]

“Nursemaid’s Elbow”



When my son was little, I picked him up by one hand to try and extract him from behind our fish tank stand. When I pulled up on his arm to get him out, his lower arm came out of the elbow socket. I knew something was wrong when he started crying and he wasn’t able to use his lower arm and it just looked floppy. I freaked out as we rushed him to the ER, but it turns out this is a very common injury in children under 1 years old.



The way I understood the ER doctor, the elbow joint is not fully developed in a child under 1 years old and the ball and socket can be easily separated – the term for an injury like this is nursemaid’s elbow. The doctor showed me how to “pop” it back in if it should happen again, which it luckily never did again.



I have since heard from other families who also “gave” their child nursemaid’s elbow by playing the “airplane game” where you hold the child’s hands while you fly them on your feet, by pulling them up onto their back when the child was standing behind them while the parent was sitting on a couch, by trying to get a very squirming arm into a shirt, and even when a child pulled their hand back quickly while the parent was clipping their finger nails.



If you suspect that your child has this injury, call your pediatrician and take them to the ER. They will do an X-ray to make sure that the injury is not more serious. Be prepared to be grilled by medical staff who are concerned about child abuse – do not be offended.

[KarenInCa]

If you are going to give your toddler ice, make sure it is smaller than choking size. They CAN choke on ice, even though it melts.

[Norsk]

Fill up your medicine cabinet with bandaids and all the other things needed for little ones

-and by an aloe plant (for quick healing of burns and bruises).

(This could even kill the waiting time..)

Tip: Always pull the top of a lollipop before giving it to your child. My best friend fortunately did that, and found the candy top to easily let go of the stick..

[drmalcolm]

Originally Posted by mdaisyq

When my son was little, I picked him up by one hand to try and extract him from behind our fish tank stand. When I pulled up on his arm to get him out, his lower arm came out of the elbow socket. I knew something was wrong when he started crying and he wasn’t able to use his lower arm and it just looked floppy. I freaked out as we rushed him to the ER, but it turns out this is a very common injury in children under 1 years old.

I'm so glad to read this post! I did the same thing when my son was little--it was so traumatic and upsetting. My son was stepping down off and tripped at the same time that I pulled up to help steady him.

When my son tripped over the small step into our bathroom and hit his mouth on the toilet, we thought his front teeth had gone through his lip from all the blood. But on the way to the hospital, the bleeding subsiding, so we decided to stop in McDonald's instead and get him a soft ice cream cone. It took his mind off the pain, plus helped the swelling--we were then able to see that it was just a bad bite to his lip.

The aloe plant is a great idea--I've noticed that kids freak out at anything that comes out of a tube or bottle when they are injured. The plant is not so scary.

Good luck--hopefully no one will have to use any of the tips.

Christina

[Lissa]

Your baby has sunburn if you notice skin that is pink or red, warm, painful, and with or without blisters. Sunburn symptoms may not start for two or more hours after the sun damage has occurred. Once you have determined that the baby has sunburn, your goals should be to stop the burning and treat the burn.
Tips

1) Stop the burning! Get baby out of both direct and indirect sunlight.

2) Either put the child in a cool bath or wrap in a cool wet towel. Do this regularly, especially in the first few hours. This may help reduce the depth and extent of the burn.

3)Use pediatric acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief.

4) Try oatmeal (Aveeno Colloidal Powder) or baking soda in the bath to reduce discomfort.

5) Use an antihistamine to reduce itchiness. Do not administer antihistamines in children less than 6 months old without first consulting your family doctor.

6) Wash blistered areas daily with mild soap and water, pat dry and cover with an antibiotic ointment and a dry sterile dressing.

Prevention:
Children need protection from all aspects of the sun: use eyeglasses, hats, sun blocks for noses and lips and appropriate clothing.
Use sunscreens that block both UV-A (the skin-damaging rays) and UV-B (the skin-burning rays). Reapply sunscreens regularly (approximately every 2 hours). Reapply sunscreens more regularly if child is swimming or sweating.
Use the "waterproof" sunscreens--they are not completely waterproof, but much more water resistant.
Apply the sunscreen 20 minutes before baby is to go outside. Avoid having children outside between 10 am and 2 pm (when sun's rays are the strongest). Replace your sunscreens yearly.

[morsedonna]

Great post. Thanks everyone that has BTDT

[roseofchina]

Great thread! BTDT on the nursemaid's elbow...5 times and all times it happened at her daycare (watch out for children pulling/jerking on each others' arms).

For pesky insect bites: antiperspirant will take out the itch and so will an ice pack.

A kid's band-aid is a miracle worker!

Sharon
dh - David
dd - Whitley Rose Hui