nasty burn?

Question

last friday my 10 month old burnt both of her hands on the radiator pipe,i was in the loo at the time and my husband was in the kitchen,she is crawling about now and trying to stand up and being a baby does'nt know the diffrence between hot or cold my lil one grabbed the pipe and would'nt let go,she is ok except her hands are being dressed every two days,and has been given antibiotics for risk of infection,i still feel very bad even though it was an accident,but if i had'nt of gone to the toilet it would never have happened,i keep the radiators off now as im scared she will touch them again,can anyone tell me how long it takes for the burns to heal???

Answer 1

don't beat yourself up about it hunni, my youngest burned his fingers on the iron when he was a baby. took 3 weeks to start to heal up.
These things happen all the time

Answer 2

I burnt my fingers very badly from the bottoms of my finger nails to my knuckles at work on boiling tomato juice straight from the microwave. Had to go everyday to have them redressed for 9 days, then dressed them myself until the dressings came off after 2 weeks. All of the blisters dried out and the skin peeled off, the new skin underneath was red and very tender. After 3 weeks they were just a more slighter pink than the rest of my skin and I have been left with no scarring which I was extremely surprised about, thought I would have really bad scars.
Accidents do happen to all children you shouldn't blame yourself, you cannot watch them all the time and this seemed like an unavoidable one. I know you can get this foam stuff that you can put around the pipes of radiators, but not sure where from. Hopefully though she may have learnt from this despite being so young. Turn your heating on again as you should not have a cold house through winter. See what she does if she goes for the pipes again, firmly say no and take her away from them telling her what happened last time and pointing to her burnt hand, she is old enough to associate doing things with pain now. If you are worried about leaving her by herself while you do everyday things, invest in a walker or a playpen where she will be out of reach of the pipes.
Hope her hand is better soon!!

Answer 3

Please don't beat yourself up. When my son was 18months we were in the kitchen with an electric fire on the floor right down the other end of the kitchen. It was such a big kitchen that I just didn't think there would be any danger. He was by my feet and I was hand washing. I looked at him and looked back at the sink, looked back to him and he had whizzed along the floor (which he hadnt done before), and before I could reach him, he had put his hand through the bars and grabbed the element. He burnt his fingers and had to go to hospital. This was many years ago and still I feel guilty. As mums it is impossible to watch a child every minute of every day.
You can't leave your radiators off and risk your child getting too cold.
If you are able perhaps you could get radiator covers. If not take your child wherever you go.
Have a portable playpen? Put her in her cot? Strap her in the highchair/pushchair? All these could be used as temporary measures. She would be safe and you could relax knowing that nothing can harm her.
Her burns will heal as did my sons :o)

Answer 4

It'll take about a week for the skin to start to heal, about a month they'll look more normal again.

My brother did the same thing to his arm as an infant on a heater. I burnt my hand on a wood stove as a toddler.

It happens, and you feel terrible, but its just part of growing up. You cant be there every single second, and dads just dont understand the importance of keeping an eye out AT ALL TIMES.

She'll be fine. You're not a bad mom. Try getting some baby gates, or a play yard to set up some where in the house to put her behind for her safety while you're donig things like going potty. Or better yet, let her come in with you, it'll make toilet training easier later.

Answer 5

Don't beat yourself up over it. These things happen. She's now also learned not to touch the radiator. I highly doubt she will touch it again. Just in case, maybe you should get a cover for the radiator, this way you'll still be able to use it without worrying about your daughter.

As for the burns, the healing time depends on the severity. Ask her doctor next time her dressings get changed. They can give you an approximite time frame.

Answer 6

First of all its not your fault. Kids are experementing. I would just put something around it so she knows not to go near it again. Just keep up with the Dr's orders and shell be fine. Burns take a while to heal. Depending on the severity



From kids washing up under a too-hot faucet to an accidental tipping of a coffee cup, burns are a potential hazard in every home. In fact, burns, especially scalds from hot water and liquids, are some of the most common childhood accidents. Babies and young children are especially susceptible — they're curious, small, and have sensitive skin that needs extra protection.


Although some minor burns aren't cause for concern and can be safely treated at home, other more serious burns require medical care. But taking some simple precautions to make your home safer can prevent many burns.
**************************************************
Common Causes
The first step in helping to prevent your child from being burned is to understand the common causes of burns in children:

scalds, the number-one culprit (from steam, hot bath water, tipped-over coffee cups, cooking fluids, etc.)
contact with flames or hot objects (from the stove, fireplace, curling iron, etc.)
chemical burns (from swallowing things, like drain cleaner or watch batteries, or spilling chemicals, such as bleach, onto the skin)
electrical burns (from biting on electrical cords or sticking fingers or objects in electrical outlets, etc.)
overexposure to the sun

Types of Burns
Burns are often categorized as first-, second-, or third-degree burns, depending on how badly the skin is damaged. Each of the injuries above can cause any of these three types of burn. But both the type of burn and its cause will determine how the burn is treated. All burns should be treated quickly to reduce the temperature of the burned area and reduce damage to the skin and underlying tissue (if the burn is severe).

First-degree burns, the mildest of the three, are limited to the top layer of skin:

Signs and symptoms: These burns produce redness, pain, and minor swelling. The skin is dry without blisters.
Healing time: Healing time is about 3 to 6 days; the superficial skin layer over the burn may peel off in 1 or 2 days.
Second-degree burns are more serious and involve the skin layers beneath the top layer:

Signs and symptoms: These burns produce blisters, severe pain, and redness. The blisters sometimes break open and the area is wet looking with a bright pink to cherry red color.
Healing time: Healing time varies depending on the severity of the burn.
Third-degree burns are the most serious type of burn and involve all the layers of the skin and underlying tissue:

Signs and symptoms: The surface appears dry and can look waxy white, leathery, brown, or charred. There may be little or no pain or the area may feel numb at first because of nerve damage.
Healing time: Healing time depends on the severity of the burn. Deep second- and third-degree burns (called full-thickness burns) will likely need to be treated with skin grafts, in which healthy skin is taken from another part of the body and surgically placed over the burn wound to help the area heal.

Answer 7

Sweetie, things like that happen. You shouldn't feel guilty, just watch her a bit more and take her to the bathroom with you. Remember, when they do it once and it hurts, they pretty much don't do it again. That's part of learning. She's a baby, it's ok....they get hurt, even burned. She will heal in a few weeks, just keep doing what the doctor tells you to do and watch her. Don't deny your family the warmth of heat...I promise, she's going to be more careful because even at that age, she will remember that it's "owie" to hurt.

Answer 8

Burns can take a long time depending on the severity. When it is getting beet (when it no longer has to be dressed) try putting on some pure aloe vera - but im sure your little one has learnt her lesson. babies are very clever in that sense if it hurts or frightens them they tend not to go near them again

Answer 9

Children explore, the burns will heal. There are covers you can purchase to place around radiators and insulation to go around exposed pipes.

Answer 10

i know this isnt answering your question because i dont know how long it takes for burns to heal up but its not your fault she burnt herself it happens sometimes and it was an accident anyway she would have learnt that she shouldnt touch radiators. i hope she gets better soon good luck.