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Finger caught in a door? How to treat your child’s smashed finger
Finger pinched between the door. Painful! When your child starts to crawl and walk, they are more mobile, meaning suddenly more dangers lurk. For example, doors that move are very interesting. And dangerous! When your child gets its finger in the door it can have traumatic consequences. That’s why it’s good to know what to do when a child gets their finger in the door.
Assess the damage
When your child is hurt, this can be a bit of a shock. As painful as it is, tries to calmly assess the damage to avoid further injury.
Check:
- Can your child still move his or her finger(s) and hand?
- Is the finger and / or hand noticeably crooked?
- Are there any injuries, swelling, or bleeding?
- Does your child still have feeling in the fingers, fingertips, and hand?
First aid for smashed fingers
To relieve pain from a smashed finger it’s important to immediately treat inflammation. What can you do to reduce pain?
- Rinse the injured finger under the tap with lukewarm water
- Clean and cover open wounds with sterile gauze or bandages
- Cool gently with ice or a cold pack wrapped in a cloth for 10-15 minutes at 20-minute intervals
- Elevate the injured finger to reduce blood flow and pressure
- Move your finger a little when possible to check for fractures
- Contact your doctor if you have any doubts about the seriousness of the injury
When to see a doctor?
Go see a doctor if the injured finger:
- cannot move
- is crooked or possibly broken
- bleeds or is injured severely
- causes extreme pain
- is numb for a longer period (before cooling with ice or cold pack)
If in doubt about the seriousness, always contact your doctor.
Reasons for finger entrapment between a door
Finger entrapment between a door can be the result of several causes. It can happen through own and other people’s actions. If you put your hand on the hinge side of the door and someone else closes the door, this can have very unpleasant consequences. This happens less often for adults than for children. Children are often inattentive and playful. If children are near doors, you must be extra vigilant as a parent or caregiver.
Can you avoid fingers in the door?
The answer to this question is without a doubt YES! Getting fingers caught between the door can easily be prevented by installing door finger guards. Door finger guards completely shield the hinge side of the door. Even a door that is completely open is being covered by the door finger guard. The risk of finger entrapment is smaller on the handle side and the damage is usually limited. You can easily prevent finger entrapment on the handle side of the door by placing door blockers.
Door finger guards prevent fingers from entering the door
By placing finger protection, door finger guards, and door blockers, you can prevent children from getting their fingers pinched between the door. In virtually all schools and nurseries you will see door finger guards in rooms that children can access. The purchase of door finger guards is a one-time investment that offers the certainty that finger entrapment through doors is prevented. Fortunately, in more and more public buildings, we see that finger protection is installed at main doors, with the result that the number of finger entrapments is decreasing.
Prevention is better than cure
Small children are very vulnerable and can suffer severe trauma from entrapment. By taking the right measures you reduce the chance of an accident. For example, install finger protection on doors, parental supervision, and teach children not to play with doors. Prevention is better than cure!
Questions?
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