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In Case of Emergency

By Kristin Bailey Murphy

No matter how protective you are as a parent, kids are just natural-born accident magnets. They commonly scrape knees, bump heads, and bust lips in their endless pursuit of exploration and fun. In fact, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign, one out of four children per year sustain an injury serious enough to require medical attention. As much as you'd like to protect them from such incidents, that's virtually impossible. The best you can do is to be well prepared when an accident does arise. Here are some common emergencies and how to react:

Emergency: Your kids are running barefoot in the backyard when one of them cuts her foot on a sharp rock.

What to do: "The first thing you should do is clean the cut and stop the bleeding," says Richard E. Miller, MD, a pediatrician at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. Wash it thoroughly with soap and water, and then apply firm pressure to the cut using gauze or a clean washcloth. "If the cut is superficial, apply an antiseptic ointment and close the wound with a butterfly Band-Aid. But if it's a deep, open wound that won't stop bleeding, or if any tissue or muscle is exposed, go to the emergency room for stitches."
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