Knowing what to do if your child is seriously hurt or injured can help you to help them in an emergency and ensure everyone remains so you can assess the situation and make the right call. As a parent, it is your job to ensure your child has everything they need when they need and acting in this capacity can help you make the experience a little bit less scary for them and offer some support.
While some people are naturally able to take charge and control things, others need support in being able to make the right decisions, especially when children are involved. The following tips can help you to stay calm in a crisis and get your child the help they need in an emergency situation.
Call 911
In the first instance, you need to call for emergency services if the accident or injury is severe. This can be falling unconscious, a broken limb, excessive bleeding, or breathing difficulties. Emergency assistance is your best course of action and can help you get treatment urgently. 911 calls can also help to get the police involved if a third party was associated with the incident, such as being in a car crash, a dog bite, or another incident where your child was harmed through no fault of their own.
Breathe
It sounds simple, but parents can often go into a panic when they see their child hurt, especially if they have never been in this situation before. It is distressing, to say the least. But to help your child, you need to be calm. So stop for a second, close your eyes, and take a deep breath; allow yourself a few seconds to collect your thoughts, gather yourself, then focus back on your child and give them all the support they need.
Gather Information
This is especially important if you weren’t with your child at the time. If they were hit by a car walking home from school, for example, or going into trouble playing at a friend’s house or out in the street. Be rational and talk to everyone involved to discover precisely what happened and how your child ended up in this position. This can help you to understand what went wrong, if anyone else is to blame, and what you can do to support your child going forward. If you need to seek help from a child injury lawyer, this information will be vital to the case.
Avoid Placing Blame
Even if it was their own fault and they caused this to happen, avoid yelling at them. You can yell when they are over the worst if you wish, but avoid yelling at those around the incident in the immediate aftermath. This will likely add extra fear and stress to the situation and make your child feel much worse. Instead, be calm and rational and support your child; if repercussions are called for once they are through this time, you can deal with it appropriately then.
The main thing to remember when your child has an accident is that they will want their parents to help and support them. This can be an extremely painful and scary time, and having you there can make things so much better for them as they won’t be alone.
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