Last week our youngest had a pretty good tumble off her scooter. Her chin hit the cement and of course, it was the one spot the helmet didn’t cover. She ended up with a very large cut across her chin and we just knew a bandage wasn’t going to be enough. Besides trusting your gut, how do you know if your kid needs stitches?
HUGS AND KISSES CANNOT FIX EVERYTHING
It’s a day that I will not soon forget because it instantly broke this mama’s heart. The sound of her falling and hitting the ground and the loud, piercing cry right after. My husband was right beside her and saw it happen, I was around the corner painting our fence. I knew it was bad when my husband was saying “She needs stitches! We need to take her to get stitches!”. Her little chin was split wide open and not a nice line, it was a mess.
We did our best to bandage her up at home, all while grabbing some things I knew I’d want to bring to have just in case while at the pediatric emergency. You just never know how long the wait will be, so there are things you want to have on hand. Bringing a favourite stuffie or blanket is a must. Plus, I grabbed the iPad knowing some entertainment and distraction might come in handy. It’s amazing how quickly everything can happen and then be out the door.
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
One thing we have realized since becoming parents is how much we should trust our instincts. If you have any doubt about if your child may need stitches, go! Go to the doctor, walk-in clinic, or the hospital. We’re thankful to have a pediatric emergency near us. We have found that we get seen relatively quickly, versus going to the usual emergency. Plus it brings us some comfort knowing they work with kids and have seen it all.
INDICATORS YOUR KID NEEDS MORE THAN A BANDAGE
While neither my husband or I am medical professionals, there are things you should know and keep in mind for injuries. The doctor in the emergency confirmed what we went by for this hospital trip. Here are some things that are good indicators that your kid needs more than a bandage and to get medical attention:
- Amount of Blood Loss: if your child has lost a significant amount of blood, or the bleeding has not stopped applying pressure for 5 minutes. Is blood spurting out of the wound?
- Size and Depth of the Wound: does the wound appear to be deep, wide, gaping, or jagged?
- Location: is the wound on your child’s neck or face?
- Debris: check the wound to see if it contains glass or any other sort of debris.
- Anything Sticking out: is there anything sticking out from the wound?
Any of the above are reasons to go and seek further medical attention for your child. Something like spurting blood can mean that an artery has been nicked. Don’t wait and just get to the hospital where they can address the wound properly. Sometimes a glue-like substance is used to help hold a wound together. In our daughter’s situation because it wasn’t a small, straight across laceration the medical staff immediately said stitches were needed.
OUR EXPERIENCE GETTING STITCHES
The medical staff quickly checked on my daughter and took a look at her chin. The bandage was replaced with gauze and medical tape. A little bit later a nurse came back to us and brought numbing gel and a unique clear bandage to hold it in place. The blood made a small pool in the bandage but it also finally stopped bleeding a few minutes after the numbing gel was put on. Apparently, this is something the numbing gel helps to do!
With the pain managed a bit more with the numbing gel my daughter felt better and more comfortable. She even fell asleep for a little bit while we waited for the doctor to come and do the stitches. I ended up holding her in my lap so that I could help keep her still during the procedure. The back of the bed was elevated enough so I could recline and she would stick her chin up and out giving the doctor a clear look at her chin.
A bright light was pointed directly at her chin so that the doctor and nurse were able to make sure the wound was cleaned properly and then the stitches were done. I was able to keep one arm wrapped across her torso and my other arm I supported her neck and head with but also covered her eyes with my hand so she couldn’t see what was going on.
I kept talking to her through the whole procedure, that didn’t last more than a couple minutes. This helped to keep her calm. Remember, if your calm, your child will likely be calm too. The doctor used dissolvable stitches, which thankfully meant we’d have one less trip to the doctor. No need to have them removed like traditional stitches.
WHAT TO KEEP AN EYE FOR AFTER YOUR CHILD GETS STITCHES
The doctor informed me that we needed to keep the wound dry for 24 hours to allow for healing to begin. We also needed to let it air out, and keep it clean. Plus keep watch for signs of infection, such as swelling, redness, and discharge. It was also strongly recommended that she receive a tetanus shot. This is commonly given when an injury like this happens, it helps lower the risk of infection. She did much better with the stitches than with the shot, that she was not happy about!
One thing we were warned to also keep watch of, was how her bite was the next day. With landing directly on her chin and jaw area there was concern that she may have dislocated her jaw or broken it. If she couldn’t bite, we were to come back to the hospital so they could take some x-rays and double check everything.
Well, we ended up going back because she couldn’t chew food and was in pain even just trying to drink. This was one of those moments where we wanted to be safe rather than sorry. She ended up having x-rays done and thankfully there was no break. It was confirmed that she did a very good job bruising her jaw and chin, making it painful. We were told to keep up on Tylenol if needed to help the pain.
BE PREPARED FOR BIGGER INJURIES
After this whole experience, one of the things that we learned from it all is the need to be prepared for bigger injuries. Many parents have a box of bandages and some polysporin. But, do you have an actual first aid kit? Our plan now is to have a small first aid kit in the car, diaper bag, and a bigger one in the house. This provides more than just cutesy bandages with cartoon characters on them. If needed, you have access to gauze, medical tape, and different things to clean cuts. I’m also thinking I want to update and renew my first aid training. You just never know when your kid may get an injury and need a little more than a hug and a kiss to feel better.
Awe, poor thing! It’s so sad to see them get hurt or sick. But this is a great post! It’s always good to know when you should go to the hospital/doctor for something.
-Jennifer
https://maunelegacy.com
I like your advice to trust your gut. I’ve found that mama’s intuition is worth a lot and I’d rather err on the side of caution than miss something. I hope your little one is feeling much better now!
This is some really great advice. So many times as parents we just want things to heal on their own.
Omg poor baby! I feel like parents must have superpowers to know when is the right time for stitches. My instincts are always just to wait and see how it goes. I hope she’s doing better now! This had to have been so scary.
We have somehow avoided needing stitches in our house. I worked at a pediatrician’s office so I heard the screening questions all the time.
Neither of my children have ever needed stitches but these tips were definitely helpful in identifying when they are needed. Your daughter is adorable and I am so glad she is okay!
How scary! We definitely need to get a real first aid kit together. Thanks for the reminder!
My son had a bad fall too when he was about 4 years old. He jumped from a chair and hit the floor face first. The cut on his forehead required 6 stitches. Oh I was so scared! So much blood! My son showed more courage than me because on the way to the emergency room of the hospital, he saw his favorite fastfood chain and said, “Mom, can I have a burger and fries?” OMG. with that big cut on his forehead, he was still thinking of burgers and fries!
Don’t get between a boy and his fries! Haha