Helping you and your child - animations

Help your child feel confident

• Be careful with your own response. This is important because children take their cues from people closest to them. Avoid speaking to others about the scars in front of your child if you find them hard to accept.
• Ask your child how they feel about their scars without offering your opinion. You do not want to add your concerns to theirs. It may be different to the way you feel about them and that’s OK.
• Listen carefully, make eye contact, and accept your child’s feelings to calm them.
• Remember that scars may remind you and your child of the burn, dressing changes, and emotions felt at the time.
• In time, scars can be reminders of bravery and resilience

Help your child with scar management

• Remember that scars improve over time but may not disappear completely.
• Encourage your child to wear their pressure garments to keep the scars flat.
• Massage the scars to keep them supple.
• Use sun screen and clothing to prevent discolouration and damage from the sun.
• Laser helps to realign collagen in the skin to improve appearance.

Help your child with other people’s curiosity

• It is important that a child can tell their story and manage questions.
• Help them understand that most questions are just because people are curious.
• If you are aware of bullying – seek help. You may need to follow up with theschool. Children who are bullied might be anxious when meeting new people.

To access the PDF version of this resource click here.

This resource was developed in partnership with the Fiona Wood Foundation, RAINE Medical Research Foundation and the Stan Perron Centre of Excellence in Childhood Burns. We would like to acknowledge Dr Lisa Martin's contribution in providing the voice work for the education video.

Help your child to tell their story

• Help your child to tell their story and answer questions. People will ask what happened. Let them practise their responses with you.
• It’s OK if they say ‘no’ they don’t want to talk about it.
• Help to choose words that your child is comfortable with. Listen to their descriptions. For example, they might want to describe it as ‘thicker skin’ instead of ‘bad scar’.
• Help them with a diary or journal to put their story in their own words.
• Remind them that burns can make them realise how strong they are. Scars can be a reminder of bravery and resilience.
• Explain that most questions are due to curiosity. Bullying is deliberately mean. Help them understand the difference. If you are aware of bullying – seek help. You may need to follow up with the school.

Help your child to answer questions

• Keep explanations short and simple.
• What happened and when. “My skin got burnt a month or two ago. It’s just a scar. That’s just what a burn does.”
• What’s happening now. “It hurt before but its fine now.”
• Close the conversation. “Thanks for checking.
• Close the conversation more firmly if you want to. “I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m sure you understand.”

Teach your child to reassure then distract

• Your child offering reassurance can help. “It won’t hurt you” or “It’s not catching” or “Don’t worry about it.”
• Then distract or change the subject. “Let’s go and (play with ... /do…”).

To access the PDF version of this resource click here. 

This resource was developed in partnership with the Fiona Wood Foundation, RAINE Medical Research Foundation and the Stan Perron Centre of Excellence in Childhood Burns. We would like to acknowledge Dr Lisa Martin's contribution in providing the voice work for the education video.

• Dressing changes are often the most difficult part of treatment for everyone. It is normal to feel stressed during your child’s dressing change. Unfortunately your stress can make your child feel more stressed.
• Keep the environment calm to increase feelings of safety and reduce anxiety. Anxiety can make pain worse.
• Children need to feel they have some control over what is happening to them. For example, the nurse might ask them to help remove the dressing.

Helping your child before the dressing

• Ask your child what they understand about treatment and use simple language to add information and correct misunderstandings. Explain what will happen before, during, and after the dressing change.
• Ask for more explanation if the doctors or nurses say something you don’t understand.
• Give your child pain relief before the dressing as requested by the doctors or nurses.

Helping your child during the dressing

• Engage with your child to distract you both and to reassure them. Chat about their favourite things. Reassure with touch, a soft calm voice, and eye contact.
• Ask the nurse the best way to ‘comfort hold’ your child for the procedure.
• If you find their wounds hard to accept, remember not to say this in front of your child. They are learning to accept it too.

Phones and photos

• If you want to take a photo ask your child if it is OK. Children can be distressed when photos are taken and shared without their permission.
• Do not share photos from your phone or allow other people to share them. If you want to show photos to other people let them look on your phone.
• A series of photos can help you later on so you can see how well they have progressed.

To access the PDF version of this resource click here.  

This resource was developed in partnership with the Fiona Wood Foundation, RAINE Medical Research Foundation and the Stan Perron Centre of Excellence in Childhood Burns. We would like to acknowledge Dr Andrew Stevenson's contribution in providing the voice work for the education video.

Normal emotions

• It is normal to feel stressed when your child has a burn injury. This can be worse if you saw the burn happen, felt helpless at the time or have had stressful experiences in the past.
• It is normal to worry about different things to your child, especially in the first few weeks. Ask your child what their worries are. They may be different to yours and may help your perspective. Try not to add your worries to theirs.
• It takes a while for the impact of the injury to sink in. Remember that you are not alone in the recovery journey and that care, treatment and support is given by the burns team for as long as you and your child need it.

Seek information

• Write down questions to ask the burns team so you don’t forget what you want toknow. Write notes about what you are told.
• If there is something you don’t understand, ask for more explanation.

How to help yourself

• Ask for help when you want it. Friends and family often want to help but don’t knowhow.
• Also, don’t be reluctant to accept help when offered.
• Find a trusted person to talk to.
• Accidents happen, and what has happened can’t be changed. Forgive mistakesand try not to feel guilt or deal blame.
• If you feel depressed or anxious please seek help from your GP or anotherprofessional service.

Support services 

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 36 46

To access the PDF version of this resource click here. 

This resource was developed in partnership with the Fiona Wood Foundation, RAINE Medical Research Foundation and the Stan Perron Centre of Excellence in Childhood Burns. We would like to acknowledge Dr Andrew Stevenson's contribution in providing the voice work for the education video.