How long do I really need to keep it under the water?

Longer than feels natural. US first aid guidance says five to ten minutes and the AAP frames it as running it until the pain stops; twenty minutes is standard practice in several other countries and there is evidence behind it. Cooling is still worth starting even if some time has already passed.

There's a blister. Should I pop it?

No. Leave it intact and cover it loosely. If it is large, on a joint, or on the face or hands, have it looked at rather than managing it at home.

Can I give pain relief?

Yes, age-appropriate acetaminophen or ibuprofen at the normal dose is reasonable while you are deciding whether it needs to be seen. It does not change the assessment.

When it happens · 4 min read

A burn or a scald: the first ten minutes

A pulled-down mug of tea, a hand on the oven door, a bath run too hot. Scalds from hot liquid are the most common serious burn in babies and toddlers, and they happen in the ordinary run of a day rather than in dramatic circumstances.

What you do in the first few minutes matters more than almost anything that follows.

Last updated August 17, 2026

Do this first

Get the heat source away, then get cool running water onto the burn and keep it there. Not ice, not iced water — cool running water. The AAP's guidance is to run it until the pain stops; general US first aid guidance says five to ten minutes, and burn services in Europe and Australia teach twenty. Longer is not harmful, and if you are unsure, keep going.

While it is under the water, take off clothing, nappies and anything tight near the area, and remove jewelry before swelling starts. The exception is anything stuck to the skin — leave that alone and let a clinician deal with it.

Then cover it loosely with a clean, non-fluffy cloth or a non-stick dressing. Cling film is acceptable if that is what you have. Keep the rest of the child warm, because cooling a small body while treating a burn is a real risk.

What never goes on a burn

No ice, no butter, no grease, no oil, no toothpaste, no ointments and no creams. These are all still widely recommended by well-meaning relatives and they all either deepen the injury or obscure it so it cannot be assessed properly.

Do not break blisters. They are a sterile dressing the body made itself, and opening them introduces infection.

Which burns need to be seen

Same day, without debating it: any burn on the face, hands, feet, genitals or over a joint; any burn larger than the child's own palm; any burn that goes all the way round a limb; any burn in a baby.

Also same day: a burn that looks white, waxy, leathery or charred rather than red and painful. Depth is counter-intuitive here — the deepest burns destroy the nerve endings, so a patch that does not hurt is more concerning than one that does.

Electrical burns and chemical burns both need assessment regardless of how they look, because the visible skin damage tells you very little about what is underneath. For chemicals, irrigate with running water for far longer and take the container with you.

The prevention that actually moves the needle

Turn the water heater down so the hottest water at the tap is no more than 120F (49C). Tap water scalds are among the leading causes of burns in babies and young children, and this single change removes most of that risk permanently.

Beyond that: hot drinks nowhere near the edge of a surface, never holding a hot drink and a baby at the same time, pan handles turned inwards, and the back rings used by preference. A hot drink can still scald a small child fifteen minutes after it was made.

Common questions

How long do I really need to keep it under the water?: Longer than feels natural. US first aid guidance says five to ten minutes and the AAP frames it as running it until the pain stops; twenty minutes is standard practice in several other countries and there is evidence behind it. Cooling is still worth starting even if some time has already passed.
There's a blister. Should I pop it?: No. Leave it intact and cover it loosely. If it is large, on a joint, or on the face or hands, have it looked at rather than managing it at home.
Can I give pain relief?: Yes, age-appropriate acetaminophen or ibuprofen at the normal dose is reasonable while you are deciding whether it needs to be seen. It does not change the assessment.

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