miniscule splinter in child's foot

[cutekids]

daughter has the tiniest of splinters in her foot which isn't causing much pain.i've tried to get it out with tweezers and witch hazel but it's not budging. hubbie says if i break the skin i could make it worse. any suggestions?

hello!

i always use a (clean) needle for splinters as tweezers usually too big. i just "slice" a bit of the top skin away and dig gently, stretching the skin so as to reduce the sensation. not sure what happens if you leave it in there, the ones mine have had usually hurt so have to come out.

I would break the skin with the tip of a very fine needle, and try the tweezers again, if you use rapid movements they shouldn't experience any discomfort.

I always start with the tweezers, but the last time DS(4) got a splinter, he let out a huge sigh and said this isn't working, get the needle

Patience, dear

If you can't get it out yourself then you need to take her to see the nurse at your GP's practice, or go to an NHS walk-in centre. Don't break the skin, or leave it and hope for the best, because it could get infected.

whilst on holiday, she got a piece of glass in her foot which prevented her from walking and obviously we saw the doctor who removed it. this is miniscule and, i know it's in her foot which can be dangerous, it isn't bothering her. just bothering me of course!

If you leave it and it becomes inflamed and/infected then it will bother her. In my opinion, even the smallest splinter needs removing, particularly from the foot where it's easy to get dirt into it, and where pressure on the splinter will force it further in.

Get a pot of Magnesium sulphate from the chemist and slap it on overnight covered by a plaster, it should draw it out painlessly.

I have in the past left minute splinters that didn't seem to be bothering him in ds's hand, and no harm was caused. Presumably, as the skin grew and was shed the splinters went with it. But if the splinter is at all infected I would get it taken out, by the GP's practice nurse if I couldn't do it myself.

On the foot there is a greater risk of a splinter causing problems, I think, because of the pressure of being walked on, and, in summer, of dirt being rubbed in. But nonetheless, if the skin appears to be unbroken and there appears to be no inflamation or pain, I would leave it alone for the time being.

homeopathic silicia will help expel splinter
i usually break skin to get them out on myself but this is more difficult on a child

Always use Germolene - dab a bit on and it softens the skin and makes it stop hurting if it does at all. The splinter should work itself out.

Sorry, that's "I" always use Germolene - it wasn't an order!

Last time i had to get splinter out of DD's foot the neighbours must of though we were murdering her, she's never been a cry baby but OMG she just yelled and yelled, that was before the needle touched her. We tried lots of reasoning but she just insisted on soaking feet in basin as Granny said it would help. In the end I just sat on her and sort of scratched it out with needle.

Go to your GP - this happened to dd age 3 with a piece of sharp shell - in that case we were advised to leave it alone to work its way out in a few days. Which it did! But I was quite suprised by that advice.

If you mush up a bit of bread with water (white bread is best) and pack it over the splinter, putting a plaster (or micropore) over to hold it in place....the splinter should come out overnight

Good Luck

I eventually just sterilized a needle and-like skribble!- sort of scratched it out! Didn't seem to bother at all-in fact she was giggling cos she reckoned it tickled....!?!Funny really, when she had an injection in her leg about 2/3 years ago, health-visitor couldn't believe it when she just cracked up laughing then aswell....!

That's good