Kids love to play, and like most my two prefer to play outside, so as long as the weather is dry they can be found in the garden either bouncing on the trampoline, shooting some basketball goals, playing tennis, skipping, football – you name it, they play it! Our garden shed has become home to an array of garden games and it’s great to see them play, get them outdoors and encourage any kind of active activity whenever possible.
Unfortunately though, it’s inevitable that from time to time, minor accidents will happen and the kids will come running in full of tears with scrapes, bumps, grazes and cuts to show me, hoping that I can make it all better again. Turning tears into smiles isn’t always easy but a few simple steps can help the tears go away and the smiles appear again.
- Give them a big cuddle – there’s nothing more they like than to feel hugged by their parents arms wrapped around them.
- Check them over for damage and apply cold packs where necessary (we keep a small supply ready in the fridge)
- Apply antiseptic creams or Elastoplast strips as necessary (especially some rather cool Frozen or Star Wars ones which is half way to generating a little smile on their faces!)
- Give them a drink and small snack to enjoy while they take 5/10 minutes to recuperate and distract them from any mild pain they may be feeling.
- Talk to them throughout, the sound of your voice is calming and distracting and before long, despite their little injuries, they’ll be bounding out of the back door again to play!
Outdoor play is such an important part of a child’s life and should always be encouraged. Fortunately with my children they’d rather be out than in, but that means we have more chances of slips, trips, knocks and falls than some. But following my tips above, means we always turn our tears into smiles within a few minutes and always remind them to be a bit more careful when running about, looking where they are going and watch when someone is throwing a ball at them!
Within the last few days we’ve already had a couple of incidents. Poor Mister B fell over in the park grazing both knees and his elbow, but fortunately R2D2 came to the rescue and covered up the worst cut which did eventually bring a smile back to his face even though it did continue to hurt him. Miss M managed to cut the end of her finger so we carefully wrapped a Frozen plaster around the top to protect the cut from dust and dirt.
Elastoplast are great for helping to save the day with fun designs that kids will love!
A worldwide brand that you and your whole family can rely on – we offer you modern and high-quality solutions to the demands and small inconveniences of everyday life.