Large splinter in foot!

[guineamango]

Help my 2.8yr dd has a huge splinter in her foot. I'm not allowed to touch it or attempt removal. Any one got any ideas on what to do? Should I go to a walk in clinic?? Bit extreme I know!

Has it been in there a while or has she just done it?

If it's been a while, try a salt water footbath first. I find that gets any muck out and the warmth takes the edge of the pain.

Otherwise, could you numb it a bit with an ice cube before you start digging?

Either way, she's obviously got to let you touch it - you could try sitting her infront of her favourite DVD while you do it. I remember reading some survey that said it worked as a distraction for injections!

Otherwise, I would say it's the walk in clinic.

Hi thanks for replying. I think she did it last night. Foot is in a salty bath and Tinkerbell on! Easter egg being used as bribery. Still a no go zone! May have to let it work itself out?

Get some Magnesium Sulphate paste from the chemist and apply this daily with a plaster over the top (if she'll let you that is!) and after a few days it will work its way out.

Its the only thing that works with our DC

DS1 had a splinter in his hand recently, wouldn't let me look at it easily.

it took a magnum ice-cream, someone else holding him and a few tears, but i could see the end was sticking out so i knew i could pull it out easily so it was worth a little upset.

is the end sticking out? then worth the forcible removal with tweezers. if not then try the other ideas.

ds would let me look if i showed him i had no tweezers and promised i was just looking.

Excellent tip Norbert! I think I may be using that for my gardening splinters - I am a bit of a wuss

Good luck guineamango!

Thanks every one great ideas all round! I called the out of hours Dr and he suggested AE! Bit extreme and I don't fancy waiting in there all day for a splinter. Will head to the chemist. There was a tiny bit sticking out and it broke off, the rest is buried quite deeply.

Magnesium sulphate paste definitely works. DH often gets splinters of metal in his skin and it always draws them out.

Again thanks to you all for your help! In the end because my dd wouldn't walk we had to hold tight to her and pull the splinter out. Bit of a struggle but got there and foot fine

Glad you got it out!

i had to stick ds's onto some sellotape so he could look at it every now and then!

he's still talking about it a good 3 weeks later!