How to bandage a child’s wound during a day hiking accident

When children suffer cuts and scrapes during an day hiking accident, the wound will need to be bandaged. This could be as simple as simply applying a lone adhesive bandage. For deep or long cuts, however, that a single adhesive bandage won’t cover, more is required.

Before bandaging any wound, ensure that it the bleeding has stopped and that the wound has been disinfected.

Begin the bandaging by lining up the cut’s edges. Then, from the wound’s center, apply adhesive bandages so that they cross-cross one another. Do this for the length of the cut. Always try to push up the edges of the cut against one another.

Next, cover this pattern of adhesive bandages with a sterile wrap. This helps ensure the adhesive bandages remain over the wound.

Whatever you do, don’t try to stitch the wound with a needle and thread unless you are a medical professional and have the proper tools. Stitching in the wilds almost always results in a poorly healing cut and greatly raises the risk of infection.

In dire emergencies, some people have used superglue to hold wounds together, but there should be no need for the drastic solution. Adhesive bandages and sterile wrap ought to be part of your first-aid kit.

Skin needs about 72 hours to close up beneath a bandage. During this time and for a few days after, check the cut to ensure that bleeding does not begin again or that an infection has not set in. If either occurs, immediately seek medical attention.

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