Ideally, we’d all go through life without any emergencies, ever.  Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. While I don’t recommend over-worrying about all the potential urgent medical problems one could face, I do recommend being prepared. Just in case.

First and foremost, STAY CALM.  You are no good to your child in need if you’re hysterical.  You need to be able to think clearly, take appropriate action and reassure your child that you will get him/her through this.

Second, you need to decide whether to call 911 or not.  If your child is not breathing, not responsive, has sustained a serious fall or crushing injury or burn, or is turning blue, you need to call 911 immediately. If you’re unsure, you’re better off making the call.

What should you do in the immediate time frame following some common emergencies? Glad you asked. Here are some guidelines…

1. Large, Open Wound

1. Apply direct pressure for 10 min to stop the bleeding.
2. Wash wound area with soap and water.
3. Cover with sterile gauze or clean cloth until evaluated by medical professional.

2. Seizure

1. Lay the child down on the ground, preferably on his/her side.
2. Place a pillow/blanket under his/her head.
3. Move lamps, chairs, etc. away from the child to prevent injury.
4. Any child who has a seizure should be seen by a medical doctor. If the seizure lasts longer than 2-3 minutes, or for multiple seizures in a row, call 911.

Do NOT:

• Do not put your finger (or anything else) into the child’s mouth.  This can lead to a mouth injury or a bite to your finger.
• Do not try to hold the child down or restrain him/her.

3. Burn

1. Immediately rinse the burned part with cold water for 10 minutes to lessen the depth of the burn and relieve the pain.
2. For burns on the face, apply a cold, wet washcloth.
3. It’s more important to cool the area immediately than to remove clothing.  After 10 minutes of cooling, remove the clothing.
4. For severe burns or burns covering a large part of the body, seek medical attention immediately.
5. The above info is for thermal (heat) burns only.  Electrical and chemical burns have their own specific first aid management.

4. Adult Tooth Knocked Out

If an adult tooth is knocked out, it must be replaced into the socket (reimplanted) ASAP. To reimplant the tooth:

1. Rinse the tooth with saliva or water
2. Replace it in the socket facing the correct way.  Press down with your thumb until the tooth is reinserted into the gums and level with surrounding teeth.
3. Bite down on a wad of cloth to keep the tooth in its place en route to your dentist office or emergency room.

If the tooth cannot be reimplanted into the socket, it should be kept moist during transit to the ER. This can be done in any of the following ways:

1. Put the tooth into a baggie with milk in it.  Place the baggie on ice.
2. Place the tooth into a cup of cold milk.
3. For children over 12 years old (and fully conscious): put the tooth inside the child’s mouth.  Have them store it in there, without swallowing it, to maintain moisture.
4. Put the tooth into a cup and have the child spit into the cup to keep it moist with saliva.

5. Amputated Finger or Toe

1. Apply pressure to open wound to minimize blood loss.
2. Briefly rinse the amputated part with water to remove any dirt.
3. Place amputated part in a plastic baggie.
4. Place the baggie into a container of ice to keep it cool and preserve the tissue.
5. To ER Immediately.

A great way to further educate yourself is by taking a CPR and/or first aid course. You can often find these courses offered at your local hospital or medical office complex.  Such courses cover adult and child CPR, choking and basic first aid. When you’re prepared for the worst, you can handle anything.

I truly hope you’ll never need any of this information and that reading this post was a huge waste of your time! But on the off chance you are faced with one of these situations someday, now you’re prepared.