Children fall over and bash themselves all the time, meaning they always end up with cuts and grazes. If you don’t have a few cuts or scars as a child, you haven’t lived life to the fullest! It’s all part of growing up, and most of the time these wounds aren’t that big of a deal. They can be dealt with very easily, and you don’t have to worry about them.
Having said that, there might be instances where a cut is severe and you need to go to the hospital to get stitches. Obviously, you don’t want to keep making this trip every time your child has a cut, especially if the doctors turn you away and say that they don’t need stitches. So, how do you know if a cut needs stitches or not? Let’s find out!
It’s bleeding heavily
The standard procedure for dealing with a cut is pretty straightforward. First, make sure you rinse out the cut and apply a wound cleanser to it, ensuring that the area is now clean. Then, you apply pressure to the cut to stop it from bleeding. If the cut continues to bleed pretty heavily after you’ve applied pressure for more than ten minutes straight, your child might need stitches. In most cases, the bleeding should either subside or become a lot less. In which case, applying a bandage or plaster is all that’s needed to control the cut.
If you apply something to cover the wound, but you notice it carries on bleeding through, you should definitely go to the emergency room as your child will likely need stitches to stop the bleeding.
It’s wide or deep
Take a look at the cut and see how wide or deep it is. If it’s a very nasty cut that’s a good inch or more wide, it will likely need stitches to help it heal. Even if there’s not a lot of blood, your child’s skin will struggle to heal a cut that’s this wide.
The same goes for a deep cut; the skin needs to be sewn shut to let the wound heal. You don’t need to be a doctor to tell when a cut is really bad and needs some extra attention. It should be painfully obvious if a cut is deep or wide.
There’s something in the cut
In really bad circumstances, your child may have something stuck in the cut. This could happen if they fall over and get a twig stuck in their arm or a shard of glass. In either case, you should go to the emergency room right away. Don’t try to take the object out as this can cause a lot of pain and bleeding. Let the doctors deal with it, and upon removing the object they will usually stitch the wound back up.
Handling bumps and bruises is all part of being a parent. Yes, in most cases, your child will get away with a minor cut and a few tears. Still, you need to know when it’s time to go to the ER so they can get the expert help they need for the wound to heal properly.
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