Treat a wound

#wound#plaster#first aid

A scraped knee can feel much bigger than it is, especially when it stings. Pictures show what is going to happen, so the child knows it will be quick and soon over. You will find the visual support below.

A man in gloves cleans and dresses a wound on his knee.

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Treating a wound

A man in gloves cleans and dresses a wound on his knee.

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Taking care of a toe

A woman puts a plaster on her toe.

About this visual support

Children fall, scrape their knees and cut their fingers, and for most of them it is over after a plaster and a hug. For others, the wound itself, the blood or the thought of someone touching it is hard to handle. The crying is then often about not knowing what will happen, and even a simple rinse can feel frightening.

The visual support brings order to the moment. The pictures show an adult cleaning a knee wound and one treating a toe. Use them to show the few steps: sit down, the adult washes their hands, rinse the wound with lukewarm water, gently dry around it, put on a plaster and take a rest. When the child sees there are only a few steps and that the last picture is rest, it becomes easier to keep still. The child can also choose the plaster.

A practical tip is to keep the pictures in the first aid box together with plasters in different sizes. That way they are there when needed. For deep wounds, wounds that do not stop bleeding or signs of infection, contact healthcare. If you want to practise everyday situations like this with visual support in an app, you can try Routined for 14 days at no cost.