7 ways to help children in pain

Even the most experienced parent can be at a loss as to what to do when their child is hurting.

Here are some tips for helping your child if he or she is having pain:

1. Don’t ignore it. Sometimes it’s easy to try to brush off the pain, hoping that it is just something minor, but all pain should be taken seriously. This one may seem like a no-brainer, but many parents don’t take children’s pain as seriously as they should.
2. Assess the situation. To be able to manage the pain effectively, you’ll need to know where the pain is, how long it’s been there, what type of pain (if possible, aching, stabbing, etc), and how bad it is (Describing the pain).
3. Distraction can help for minor pain and it may help take the edge of more severe pain. Keep in mind though, that your child’s attention span may be much shorter and his or her tolerance level may be much lower than usual.
4. For bumps, bruises, sprains, or strains, ice is often the best immediate pain reliever. Remember never to let ice touch the skin directly – there should always be fabric between the ice and the skin.
5. For achy muscles, heat may be the answer. Like ice, don’t put the heat source directly on the skin and be sure that it isn’t not too hot. A warm bath may be helpful to relax the whole body.
6. Pain relievers, for children at children’s doses may be needed. Don’t exceed the recommended. You can, of course, use a combination of treatments – ice or heat, plus distraction (playing, movies, singing), and medications.
7. Touch your child if he or she can bear it. Some people hate to be touched when they’re hurting, but usually children find it soothing. Rubbing, massaging, just general skin to skin contact may be helpful.

If your child’s pain is getting worse or you see changes in the pain, if the pain continues despite attempts to relieve it, call your doctor or healthcare provider. Don’t take chances as the pain may be the signs of something serious.

Do you have any hints that you’ve used with your own children? Please share them – the more tips we have in our bag, the better we can all be with our children.

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