Is there an easy way to get splinters out of a kid?

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Does anyone know an easy way to get splinters out? I read something before about a way to make splinters kind of poke out by themselves but of course I can't remember where I read it. There is a 5 year old runnin' around the workplace with a big splinter she won't let anyone near. All the kickin' screamin' and cryin' is really getting on our nerves. HELP!

-- debra in ks (solid-dkn@msn.com), February 20, 2001

Answers

a sjot of Jake,, and Mom could get anything outa me when I was a youngster, even some things dad said not to talk about.

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 20, 2001.

,,,,,humm,, that should be,, JACK

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 20, 2001.

Either elmer's glue and let it dry and peel it out or a piece of tape will sometimes work too.

-- Mary (mlogan298@yahoo.com), February 20, 2001.

This doesn't always work, but what my mom would do was to GENTLY press just below the tip of the splinter, pushing back on it a little. This would make part of the splinter stick back out, and she would grasp it with a tweezers and pull it out, fairly quickly. It SOUNDS even more painful, but actually, it makes it hurt less. I guess it takes the pressure off where the tip is poking in. We soon learned to trust her.

HOWEVER, I think this technique also relies quite a bit on the reasonableness of the child. Some kids just love to work themselves up into a fine hysteria. And of course, we all have different pain thresholds.

Nowday, I think I would put a drop of lavender essential oil on the site first, give it a minute or so to take some of the pain away (also good for helping combat infections), then do the operation.

Good luck.

-- Joy F (So.Central Wisconsin) (CatFlunky@excite.com), February 20, 2001.


Tape or band-aid a piece of bacon to the spinter area, leave overnight. This has worked for glass for me, the glue thing works too.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), February 20, 2001.


Dad got out all of the stickers around our place. His method was to first take off his belt...then he got out his little pocket knife. He grabbed the poor victim and made them lay in the floor. The knife was for the splinter. The belt was if we tried to fight him. LOL Now which one did you want it easy for...you or the person with the splinter? Was a piece of cake for him! No kickin, screamin or cryin.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), February 20, 2001.

Well, first,I'd tell the child that if she keeps screamin', kickin' and cryin', I'll warm her behind! Before everyone goes nuts, I said warm it not beat it! Then,I'd use an old remedy I learned from my Dad to draw the splinter out. He used Fels-Naptha soap, but I have used any soap. Put a small sliver of wet soap in the splinter and cover it with a bandage. If left alone,the soap will draw the sliver out enough to pull it out easily.The soap also seems to numb the pain. Do something before it gets infected!

-- Ardie from WI (a6203@hotmail.com), February 20, 2001.

Yes, just have someone big sit on her and take the splinter out. I never had alot of patience for this type of thing, or for wasting medicine, my children simply were not allowed to spit our medicine. Explain to the child it is for their own good, then just cut it open and tweeser it out, using a triple antibiotic and bandaid afterwards. You simply can't commnuicate with a wild, screaming child, and you shouldn't have to. Course I guess the mom could take the child to the emergency room and sit for 4 or 5 hours! Who exactly is the adult? Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 20, 2001.

answer...NO...:-)

-- Patsy J (cozyhollow-gal@care2.com), February 20, 2001.

Debra: A magnification Eye Loop that the jewlers use sure helps to see the little splinter so you can pick it right out. Jay NC

-- jay vance (jay.l.vance@worldnet.att.net), February 20, 2001.


Boy I'm glad some of you weren't my parents .Some kids cannot deal with it "pick your battles" hot soaks and drawing salve .If you can see which way it went in sometimes you can push it out some and then grab it .Covering the eyes willingly helps or a favorite piece of candy .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), February 20, 2001.

My mom would numb my finger with ice till I couldn't stand it then dig it out. After a couple of times I could do it myself. My dad was always drunk and loved to inflict pain so loose teeth and splinters were my secrets!! Ha! I have to tell ya I learned about self- sufficiency real quick from my rotten father!! ...Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), February 20, 2001.

Kirk seems like you turned out ok .Laughter is the best medicine .Sorry for your bad experiences , no child should have them .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), February 20, 2001.

OUR favoite fix is the cherry sore throat spray, spray the sore area or soak it in a cup or with a cotton ball until it goes to sleep,

I also give child sized medical explanations of the process, 'This spray makes the ouches go to sleep'[with much pointing and "reading" of the lable] letting the child taste the spray so as to feel the numbing effect work in their mouth, proof that it works and they learn to trust it will not hurt. I also explain that it is very important doctor stuff only for 'big hurts' where like 'blood might come out'and so on because after a taste most children want to drink it. [and this works very well on cuts to get glass out]A $5 or so bottle last us over 6 months.

-- Thumper (slrldr@aol.com), February 21, 2001.


Listerine also works to numb it. Just soak the area for a minute or two. It doesn't last real long but does give you a few minutes of leeway to work on it.

-- Kari (prettyhere@truevine.net), February 21, 2001.


In response to the screaming and crying, I made the Boy sing for me! It didn't matter what, he was required to sing. Ya can't sing and scream/cry at the same time. By the time I was done digging at the splinter we would usually be giggling at his songs (mostly ad lib). I suppose duct taping to the chair would be an option.... :)

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), February 21, 2001.

My dh and I tag team! I'll rub ice where the splinter is to numb it, and then dh will rub ice on the other foot (or whatever)while I get the splinter out. It distracts him from what I'm doing, and he doesn't kick and scream.

-- Rose (Rose9796@yahoo.com), February 21, 2001.

ONE WAY OF NUMBING IT IS USE ORA-JEL YOU KNOW THE STUFF FOR TOOTH ACHES PUT ALITTLE ON AND IN A MIN OR SO IT IS NUMB AND THEN YOU CAN DIG OUT THE SPLINTER. MY BROTHER HAS A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY AND HE USES THE ORA JEL FOR SOME OF THE BABIES THAT WORK FOR HIM DALE

-- dale (dgarr@fidnet.com), February 21, 2001.

I have never even heard of most of these methods, but I'm pretty good at getting splinters out. We get an awful lot of them around here. first, if the child wants to be difficult, I just say, well fine, we'll leave it in there. If they want me to help them they have to behave and try to sit still. if the splinter is poking out, you can grab it with tweezers. If it's not, I bring out a clean needle. If it bothers the child to see the needle, get her to think about something else, maybe watch TV or somthing while you work on it. Just very gently unzip the skin at the entry hole of the splinter, and then apply pressure to the end that's embedded to push it out far enough to grab it with the tweezers. Sometimes I just cannot get the splinter out, and let it fester ovetnight, and then it comes out more easily.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), February 21, 2001.

I once had a real big log under one of my fingernails. Could not get it out for nothing. Someone told me about the bacon, and I put a small piece on it and then a bandage. It worked great. Somehow, it pulled it out enough for me to get ahold of it.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), February 21, 2001.

Instead of using a needle which can poke and hurt, we use nail clippers. We just clip the skin where the splinter is and draw it out with tweezers. Put some calendula cream and a bandaid on and voila!! If the parent stays calm chances are the child will as well. Also, I have my children take their good hand and grip one of my forearms as tight as they can when it hurts so they are transferring the pain and it usually distracts them.

Silvia

-- Silvia (organic_farmer@hotmail.com), February 22, 2001.


I bought a pair of splinter tweezers that work really well. They are just tweezers with sharp pointed ends. Kind of combines the needle and tweezers approach. You can pick through the outer layers of skin till you get to the splinter and tweeze at the same time. Got them at a pharmacy drugstore.

-- Amy (gshep@aeroinc.net), February 27, 2001.

Cindy (SE In) and Cindy in Ky: You got my curiosity up, here... What is the medical explaination for the bacon???

-- Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), February 27, 2001.

well ,,I read all your ideas ,,the sliver I'm trying to remove is in my hand, not a child's . it's a big nasty one ,,straight in then broke off ,I dont like pain ,,i'd rather get it out myself than go to the doctor . whats with the bacon ? how does that work ,sounds kind of disgusting ,lol I think I'll try the soap first ,,I have liquid soap ,can I use that ?

-- ted the baby in canada ,, (tedh00@hotmail.com), April 29, 2001.

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