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First Aid Emergency

If the bite or scratch wound is bleeding, apply pressure to the area with a clean bandage or towel until the bleeding stops. If available, use clean latex or rubber gloves to protect yourself from exposure to another person's blood.
Clean the wound with soap and water, and hold it under running water for at least 5 minutes. Do not apply an antiseptic or anything else to the wound.
Dry the wound and cover it with sterile gauze or a clean cloth.
Phone your child's doctor. If you child was bitten by an animal, he or she may need antibiotics, a tetanus booster, or a rabies vaccination. A bite or scratch on a child's hand or face is particularly prone to infection and should be evaluated by your doctor.
If your child was bitten or scratched by an animal, try to locate the animal. Some animals may have to be captured, confined, and observed for rabies. But do not try to capture the animal yourself. Look in your phone book for the number of an animal control office or animal warden in your area.
Go to the nearest hospital emergency department if:
- the wound won't stop bleeding after 10 minutes of direct pressure
- the wound is more than half an inch long or appears to be deep
- the attacking animal was wild (not tame) or behaving strangely
- a body part is severed (wrap the severed part in sterile gauze or a clean cloth and take it with you to the emergency department)

For Minor Bleeding From a Small Cut or Abrasion (Scrape):

Rinse the wound thoroughly with water to clean out dirt and debris.
Then wash the wound with a mild soap and rinse thoroughly. (For minor wounds, it isn't necessary to use an antiseptic solution to prevent infection, and some can cause allergic skin reactions.)
Cover the wound with a sterile adhesive bandage or sterile gauze and adhesive tape.
Examine the wound daily. If the bandage gets wet, remove it and apply a new one. After the wound forms a cab, a bandage is no longer necessary.
Call your child's doctor if the wound is red, swollen, tender, warm, or draining pus.

For Bleeding From a Large Cut or Laceration:

Wash the wound thoroughly with water. This will allow you to see the wound clearly and assess its size.
Place a piece of sterile gauze or a clean cloth over the entire wound. If available, use clean latex or rubber loves to protect yourself from exposure to possible infection from the blood of a child who isn't your own. If you can, aise the bleeding body part above the level of your child's heart. Do not apply a tourniquet.
Using the palm of your hand on the gauze or cloth, apply steady, direct pressure to the wound for 5 minutes. (During the 5 minutes, do not stop to check the wound or remove blood clots that may form on the gauze.)
If blood soaks through the gauze, do not remove it. Apply another gauze pad on top and continue applying pressure.
Call your child's doctor or seek immediate medical attention for all large cuts or lacerations, or if:
- you're unable to stop the bleeding after 5 minutes of pressure, or if the wound begins bleeding again (continue applying pressure until help arrives)
- you're unable to clean out dirt and debris thoroughly, or there' s something else stuck in the wound
- the wound is on your child's face or neck
- the injury was caused by an animal or human bite, burn, electrical injury, or puncture wound (e.g., a nail)
- the cut is more than half an inch long or appears to be deep - large or deep wounds can result in nerve or tendon damage

For a Suspected Broken Bone:

If the injury involves your child's neck or back, do not move him unless the child is in imminent danger. Movement can cause serious nerve damage. Phone for emergency medical help. If your child must be moved, the neck and back must be completely immobilized first. Keeping your child's head, neck, and back in alignment, move the child as a unit.
If your child has an open break (bone protrudes through the skin) and there is severe bleeding, apply pressure on the bleeding area with a gauze pad or a clean piece of clothing or other material. Do not wash the wound or try to push back any part of the bone that may be sticking out.
If your child must be moved, apply splints around the injured limb to prevent further injury. Leave the limb in the position you find it. The splints should be applied in that position. Splints can be made by using boards, brooms, a stack of newspapers, cardboard, or anything firm, and can be padded with pillows, shirts, towels, or anything soft. Splints must be long enough to extend beyond the joints above and below the fracture.
Place cold packs or a bag of ice wrapped in cloth on the injured area.
Keep your child lying down until medical help arrives.

For a Suspected Sprain or Strain:

If the injury involves your child's neck or back, do not move him unless the child is in imminent danger. Movement can cause serious nerve damage. Phone for emergency medical help. If your child must be moved, the neck and back must be completely immobilized first. Keeping the head, neck, and back in alignment, move your child as a unit.
It may be difficult to tell the difference between a sprain and a break. If there is any doubt whatsoever, phone your child's doctor or take your child to the nearest hospital emergency department. An X-ray can determine whether a bone is broken.
First aid for sprains and strains includes rest, ice, compression, and elevation (known as RICE).
- Rest the injured part of the body.
- Apply ice packs or cold compresses for up to 10 or 15 minutes at a time every few hours for the first 2 days to prevent swelling.
- Wearing an elastic compression bandage (such as an ACE bandage) for at least 2 days will reduce swelling.
- Keep the injured part elevated above the level of the heart as much as possible to reduce swelling.

Do not apply heat in any form for at least 24 hours. Heat increases swelling and pain.
Your child's doctor may recommend an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Information obtained from National Institute of Health