Advertisement
The best tools and practices from a pediatrician
It’s a familiar situation for many parents: Your child is playing in the yard barefoot and comes in complaining that they stepped on something.
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
You take a look at their foot. Sure enough, you see a tiny splinter.
Should you grab the tweezers from the medicine cabinet, or take your child to urgent care to have it removed? Or does it even need to be taken out at all?
It’s especially important to have organic material — like a piece of wood or a thorn — removed as soon as possible, as it may become infected more quickly than inorganic material — like metal or glass — says pediatrician W. Kyle Mudd, DO. The splinter should be removed that day if possible, too.
Once you’ve determined that a splinter needs to come out, it’s time to decide if you’re the best person for the job. Most often, you’ll be able to save a trip to the doctor by removing it yourself. But Dr. Mudd suggests leaving it to the pros if:
Advertisement
While getting a splinter can hurt in the moment, there are some alternative ways of removing a splinter with a little less pain.
Advertisement
If the wound is small, pain-free and near the surface of the skin, it may be just a sliver that could eventually come out as the skin sheds. But a deeper, more painful splinter shouldn’t be left in due to the risk of infection. If a splinter is small and isn’t causing any pain or discomfort, it sometimes helps to wait until it rises to the surface of the skin. Then, try removing it with tweezers. Otherwise, be sure to take any necessary steps to remove it as soon as possible.
Regardless of how it’s removed, if your child gets a splinter, it’s important to make sure they’re up to date on their tetanus vaccine, to prevent a rare but possibly serious infection. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children receive their childhood tetanus series, including the DTaP immunizations, at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years old, in addition to a Tdap immunization at 11 to 12 years old. A tetanus booster is required every 10 years after this to help boost waning immunity.
Advertisement
Learn more about our editorial process.
Advertisement
Local LGBT centers, online directories, visual cues and gender-affirming care or non-discrimination policies can all be helpful resources and cues
Regular exercise, an iron-rich diet, adequate sleep and bedtime routines that include a warm bath or massage may help with your kid’s RLS
A consistent, structured routine, which may include incentives, can help children learn to stay in bed and get the ZZZs they need
Keeping open lines of communication and working together as a team for your children are key to co-parenting
Let your little one’s enthusiasm and motivation fuel their interest in running, but don’t pile on miles too early
Change your toothbrush after an infection and always take your full course of antibiotics to help ward off recurrence
You can help strengthen your child’s immune system by focusing on hand washing and staying up-to-date on their vaccines
A dental emergency, quick action is key to preventing long-term damage
Focus on your body’s metabolic set point by eating healthy foods, making exercise a part of your routine and reducing stress
PFAS chemicals may make life easier — but they aren’t always so easy on the human body
While there’s little risk in trying this hair care treatment, there isn’t much science to back up the claims