in the first 30 seconds... bleeding

“2 little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and …” busted his lip. Yes, Audrey and Ethan were jumping on her toddler bed. I had just asked them to stop when CRASH- Ethan’s lip smashed into Audrey’s bed frame. As he turned and looked at me the blood began dripping down his chin.

Steps to take when bleeding:

Yes, Ethan was crying and escalated into screaming as I held him and held pressure to his lip, but I tried to distract him by soothing, singing, and counting to him.

I count to 300 in my head or out loud. 300 approximates the 5 minutes that you should minimally apply pressure without checking, looking, testing, etc. When you stop the bleeding it is much easier to assess the damage and calms everyone down.

You can try elevating the injured area above the level of the heart to slow the bleeding.

1. Rinse the wound in soap and water or even run under the faucet to assess the damage and clean the site.
2. Grab a clean gauze, cloth, towel, something handy and apply direct, firm pressure.
3. If the cut is inside of the mouth where it is tough to apply direct pressure then I cheat and use a Popsicle or ice water. The cold temperature helps to stop the bleeding and control the pain and the Popsicle is a nice, distracting treat.
4. If the bleeding is pulsing or will not stop then you will need to call 911 or seek emergency medical evaluation.
5. For nosebleeds apply pressure for 5-10 minutes just behind the nostrils. Apply continuous pressure with the head in a neutral position, not leaning forward or back. Once the bleeding has stopped have the child take it easy the awhile after so as to not restart the bleeding, no jumping, wrestling, blowing their nose.

References: AAP.org and healthychildren.org