Skin injuries. Call your child's doctor immediately if you have any trouble stopping the bleeding, if the wound is caused by a dirty object, if there is any chance that a foreign body is in the wound, or if the skin is split and will need stitches. Any deep cut that needs stitches must be sutured within 12 hours. After 12 hours the wound is no longer clean enough to close with stitches.

• Scrapes or superficial cuts--Wash abrasions or superficial cuts for 5 minutes with soap and water; then rinse well. Put on an antibiotic ointment and Band-Aid or sterile gauze dressing and change it daily.
• Puncture wounds (as from stepping on a nail)--Soak the area in hot water and soap for 15 minutes. Try to make the puncture wound bleed some more. If there is any chance that an object has broken off inside the puncture wound or if your child has not had a tetanus booster in the last 5 years, call your child's doctor.
• Bruises--Put ice on the bruise for 20 minutes. No other treatment should be necessary.
• Slivers and splinters--Most slivers can be removed with a needle and tweezers.

Before you use them, sterilize the needle and tweezers with alcohol. Wash the skin surrounding the sliver with soap before you try to remove the sliver. Grasp the sliver firmly with tweezers and pull it out at the same angle it went in. Call your child's doctor if you can't remove a sliver.