First Aid Tips for Outdoor Play

We all know that with enough time spent playing outdoors someone is bound to get hurt. So I want to share some basic first aid tips and items you will want for outdoor play. Knowing what to do when your child is injured will help alleviate the panic you might feel and help you stay calm during a stressful situation. My first tip is to Be Prepared. If you are prepared then hopefully you’ll avoid many outdoor injuries. But with that in mind, we are not always going to be prepared, so knowing what resources you have will really help. Comment below if you felt unprepared the last time you or someone you know was injured. What would you do differently next time?

Basic First Aid Tips for Outdoor Play

Bug Bite/Bee Sting – Use bug repellant. If you have ice in your water bottle take a piece and put it on the bug bite to reduce swelling.

• Ibuprofen also works great to reduce swelling
• If you are home you can use a baking soda mixture to reduce swelling
• For a bee sting make sure to remove the stinger

Heat Exhaustion – To prevent heat exhaustion, wear a hat, and sunscreen, and drink LOTS of water

• Go outside before 10 am and after 4 pm to reduce UV rays and the hottest parts of the day.
• I like to keep a powdered drink mix packet in my bag for some extra electrolytes and vitamins
• If you or someone you know gets heat exhaustion to get them out of the sun and have them drink plenty of fluids.

Sprained Ankle – This is one of the most common outdoor injuries, especially playing sports or hiking around on uneven ground. To prevent this wear good shoes and stretch before you go out.

• A helpful acronym to remember is RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation
• Get off your feet. and elevate your injury with your pack, on a log, etc…
• Get a shirt, wet with cold water to wrap around the injury.

Cuts and Abrasions – If you have a serious cut call for help immediately.

• For a minor cut follow these steps
  1. apply pressure to stop bleeding
  2. clean the wound with soap and water
  3. apply an antibiotic ointment to the wound
  4. cover the wound with a bandage.

Poisonous Plants – Depending on where you live you may have some of these poisonous plants in your outdoors: poison oak, wild parsnip, Poison ivy, etc…

• Research what poisonous plants are in your area and what they look like so you can spot them easily.
• If you do come in contact with a poisonous plant wash your skin with cool water (change your clothes if you can).
• You can also apply cool mud which helps elevate the itching/burning in some cases.

Shin Splints – To prevent shin splints stretch, If you already have them then ice them immediately to reduce inflammation

• It’s also a good idea to have ibuprofen in your first aid kit.
• If you are prone to shin splints you can tape them before going outdoors to play.

Sunburns – There are a few remedies you can do for a bad sunburn.

• Drink lots of fluids to rehydrate your body.
• Cover up your sunburn (get in the shade, put a long sleeve shirt on, wear a hat, if no share is around, etc..)
• Once you are home – Take a cold shower to slow the burning & apply aloe or another sunburn lotion as soon as possible.

Basic First Aid Kit for Outdoor Play

I hope these few tips can help you manage most injuries you might encounter. Ideally, you want to be prepared for anything but that is just not reality. There are often things you can do to make an injury better until you can more help. To go along with my first aid tips download my free printable of 15 items you will need in your first aid kit for outdoor play. It’s a good idea to also put a larger first aid kit in your car.

What things do you keep in your basic first aid kit? Comment below.

Rach