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Kidz First Paediatric Inpatient Services
Public Service, Paediatrics, Burns, Gastroenterology & Hepatology (Liver), Infectious Diseases, Nephrology, Orthopaedics, Plastic Surgery, Respiratory
Paediatric Burns
Most burns occur at home, usually in the kitchen and bathroom. Generally younger children suffer more scalds; older children more flame burns. Children’s skin is thinner so they get hurt faster than adults.
You can start treatment that can help a burn injury by cooling the burn:
- Apply tap water at room temperature onto burned area for at least 20 minutes
- Never use ice or iced water
- Keep the non burned area dry and warm
- Don’t put anything on the burn except water
- Stop cooling if core body temperature is <35°C
Burns are identified by depth of the burn:
- Superficial or epidermal
- Partial thickness
- Full thickness
Each of the different depths of burns will be treated differently, sometimes this means that your child may have to stay in hospital.