Children’s Hospital of Michigan offers the only certified pediatric burn center in the state. If your child suffers from a burn injury, depending on the severity, you will likely be sent to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Midtown, Detroit. This is important to know because if you get a choice of where you would like your child to go, selecting Children’s Hospital of Michigan as your first choice can save time and get your child the treatment they need as quickly as possible. No one wants to expererience a burn, but if you do, here are some actions to take.

Children are much more vulnerable to changes in the temperature of the environment because they produce and lose heat faster than adults. Because they are so often busy playing and having fun, children tend to pay less attention to when they are becoming too hot or too cold until problems occur. It is important for you to protect your child from the sun and from heat and cold exposures that may cause them illness or injury. Knowing what to do in case a burn or thermal injury occurs can help prevent a medical emergency.

Caring for a heat-induced or thermal burn

  • Remove the child from the heat source.
  • Cool the affected area with cold water or cold compresses until the pain is reduced or relieved.
  • If a blister has formed, do not break it.
  • Protect the burn with a dry, sterile, gauze bandage or with a clean bed sheet or cloth.
  • If your child’s clothing is stuck to the burned area, do not attempt to remove it. Instead, cut around the clothing, leaving the burn intact. Seek medical care right away.
  • Do not apply any ointments, oils, or sprays to the burned area.
  • If your child has burns on the hand, foot, face, eyes, or groin, or those that cover a large area, seek medical attention or dial 911 for emergency medical attention.

Important note: Any electrical burn should be seen by a doctor. Electrical burns cause damage to body parts below the skin that are not visible on the surface. Call or send someone to call 911 for emergency medical assistance if an electrical burn occurs.

The Burn Center at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan is the only verified burn center that is dedicated to pediatrics – and one of a few in the nation – to be verified by the American Burn Association (ABA) and the Committee on Trauma of the American Colleges of Surgeons (ACS). Being verified as a Pediatric Burn Center is granted because of the spectrum of quality care provided to pediatric burn patients – from the pre-hospital phase through the rehabilitation process. No other Burn Center in the State of Michigan is exclusively dedicated to the needs of children.

From innovative procedures for patients with full-thickness burns over more than 50 percent of their bodies to specialized care and rehabilitation therapy for children with severe burns to their hands and joints, the Burn Center provides comprehensive care for every burn injury.

Learn more about Children’s Hospital of Michigan Burn Center here

Photo: Kyree, is a burn unit patient who was recently treated for a 12% scald burn injury from an accident involving Ramen noodles. A good tip to keep in mind is to create a “kid-free” zone in the kitchen when cooking and to never hold a child while carrying hot food or liquids.

This article is in partnership with Children’s Hospital of Michigan