Children need comfort

Most children feel a little frightened when they have an injury - the good news is they have an inbuilt ability to bounce back quickly. Nobody knows your child better than you do, but a few handy comforting tips never go amiss.

• Try to avoid children seeing blood. The sooner they've got a plaster on, the better they'll feel.
  

• Keep calm and smile. If you can distract your child with toys and games it will be easier to treat the wound carefully.
  

• Little children are keen to be nurse too! Applying plasters to dolls and teddies can be a useful distraction.
  

• Listen to everything your child has to say about the accident and the pain. Most kids feel better when they've talked things though.
  

If the child continues to complain about the pain, don’t try to distract it with children’s games. Discuss the pain with your patient. The child needs to feel that the pain is taken seriously and remember, you are the nurse.