Associated symptoms
The main symptom besides the skin changes is the strong pain. However, since infants cannot express their pain in a targeted manner, this is only manifested by constant crying. Burns in the mouth area also lead to a weakness in drinking, as further sucking increases the pain.
In the case of severe pain, a loss of consciousness may occur. Larger burns lead to a loss of fluid, which must be compensated by volume therapy. This therapy is already initiated by the emergency doctor, as otherwise the babies may go into shock and this can lead to cardiovascular failure.
Large-area wounds not only cause a loss of fluid, but also represent an entry point for dangerous germs. In open burns, bacteria can prevent the wound from healing. A further danger in the case of extensive burns is hypothermia, as the skin normally provides insulation and is missing in the area of the wound. In addition, it is still a reflex of the parents to cool the children down with cold water, which is more harmful than helpful.
Causes
The causes of burns are numerous and depend strongly on the age of the person affected. Infants are not yet able to specifically express that the bath water or milk is too hot, or that the hot-water bottle has been lying on the stomach for too long. In addition, they cannot free themselves from the situation.
For children who can already pull themselves up, hot coffee or the iron may be a possible cause. Besides accidents, child abuse must unfortunately always be considered. This is a cruel situation for worried parents, but serves to protect a few children.
One of the oldest household remedies is probably the cherry stone pillow.Warmth helps wonderfully with stomach cramps and other diseases. It is therefore understandable that parents want to help their babies with abdominal cramps and place a cherry pit cushion or a hot water bottle on their babies’ stomachs. It is well known that these should not be too hot, as this can cause burns, but a warm and not hot hot hot-water bottle is also a cause of burns if used for too long. The babies are not yet able to show specifically that the hot-water bottle is too warm and cannot remove it themselves.
