How to tear off your tongue. What to do if a child freezes his tongue to the iron in winter: first aid measures

When the tongue touches cold metal, it adheres to the object. The moisture on the tongue quickly turns into ice.

It is very important at this stage to calm down and avoid active movements - this can lead to injury to the frozen area.

What to do if a child’s tongue sticks to metal in the cold - instructions

Little children are quite inquisitive and active by nature. Therefore, in frosty weather, during children's games, such a nuisance can happen when a restless child sticks his tongue to a metal object.

This phenomenon is not fatal, but parents need to know how to act correctly in such a situation:

  1. The child should be reassured and asked not to twitch. A sharp jerk can lead to injury to the tongue, which will cause a lot of discomfort in the future.
  2. If the object touched by the child is small in size, it is transferred to a warm room. And here, with the help of warm water or a hairdryer, the detachment of the tongue from the metal is accelerated. For educational purposes, you can not take any action and wait until the ice thaws on its own.
  3. In the event that the thing to which the tongue is frozen is not portable, perform the following activities:
    — Ask the child to calm down and focus on breathing. Exhaling steam on the piece of iron will promote gradual thawing. If the child is still very young and is not able to understand what they want from him, a similar manipulation should be done by the parents. As soon as the tongue begins to come off, the baby must be turned away from the metal object, otherwise he will freeze even more.
    - Water the tongue with warm water in the absence of effect from the previous event. In a matter of seconds, the water will “free” the frozen part of the body. Although it is unlikely that in such a situation a thermos with warm liquid will be at hand. Don't be shy about asking people for help. Surely there will be some adults who live nearby and will be able to run home for water.

In case of this mini-accident, you should not call an ambulance either. Even if the team responds to such a call, by the time they get there, the child will be saved.


In Internet sources you can find several tips that definitely should not be used in such a situation, so as not to provoke disastrous consequences.

Here are some of them:

  • Urinate on the frozen area. If you are in a crowded place, such a measure is impractical and will cause a lot of indignation from other parents. And the child himself will not be particularly pleased with such rescue measures. It’s another matter if the incident occurred in a place where there was not a soul around, and intense breathing on the piece of iron was not crowned with success. If you have a plastic bag nearby, you should urinate there and then apply the bag to the ice metal. For those driving a car, you need to look in your first aid kit for rubber gloves - they will be a high-quality replacement for the specified bag.
  • Warm up a metal object with a lighter. Such a measure is unlikely to be effective, but what will really work well is to scare the child. Bringing fire close to the face can cause panic even in adults. In addition, there is a risk of getting burned.
  • Quickly tear the frozen area away from the metal. Not a very smart idea - the child is guaranteed to get injured.

What to do if a child receives a tongue injury after it sticks to metal - should you see a doctor?

If the child does injure his tongue, the following measures must be taken:

  1. Treat the wound surface with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine. In case of relatively severe bleeding, you should fold the bandage in several layers, soak it in a hemostatic solution, and apply it to the tongue. There is no need to apply snow or water the damaged area, as this can cause infection.
  2. Call an ambulance, if the procedures described above did not help stop the bleeding. Although this happens extremely rarely.
  3. Monitor your baby's diet. Food should not irritate the mucous membranes, and therefore it is better not to give your child sour, spicy, salty, or hot foods.

There are no cures for such injuries, as such. The main thing is to stop the bleeding, and at first watch what the child eats, and then it’s up to the immune system.

Attention!

If a couple of days after the incident the condition of the tongue has not improved, or dark spots appeared- You need to see a doctor immediately!

Preventative work with the child to prevent him from licking metal objects with his tongue in the cold

Conversations with your child about touching metal objects with his tongue in the cold can bear fruit, but not always. For many children, prohibitions will only interest them more, and they will want to be convinced of the veracity of their parents’ words.

If your child is one of these children, he will benefit from the following experiment:

  • Take a small metal object out into the cold in advance. The most suitable option is a teaspoon or tablespoon.
  • After a certain period of time, ask (or force!) the child to touch the ice object with his tongue.
  • Bring the young experimenter into the house after his futile attempts to free his tongue.
  • Pour warm liquid over the frozen area.
  • Explain that such an algorithm of actions will not work with bulky and heavy objects, and the consequences may not be so harmless.

It is very unlikely that a little prankster will want to do a similar experiment again on the same playground or in another public place.

Ice and a car that doesn't want to start in the morning are not the worst things that happen in winter. There is another winter nuisance - a person can stick his tongue to the iron. This situation is familiar to many: children lick pieces of iron out of curiosity, adults - most often as a bet. Novosibirsk News learned how to rescue a victim from captivity who decided to taste an iron swing or railing.

Take the victim to a warm place

If we are talking about a sled or a metal toy, then the simplest thing in this situation is to take the object to which the tongue is stuck, along with the victim, to a warm place. You just need to wait a little and everything will thaw itself.


Breathe

If a person is frozen to a rather bulky object, like a swing, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to move him to a warm place. It's worth trying to warm the object itself. Cup your palms and breathe into the “joining” area. If there are several rescuers, things will go much faster. Ask the victim to breathe with you.

Add water

If you are near your home or store, run for warm water (not hot!) and carefully pour over the frozen area.


Don't try to tear it off

Do not try to forcefully remove the victim from the sticking area. This can lead to very painful injuries.

Treat the wound

If the wound could not be avoided, go home immediately, do not apply snow or ice - there is a risk of infection. At home, rinse your tongue with warm water and blot it with a swab containing hydrogen peroxide. In case of a severe wound, you need to use a sterile bandage - it is folded several times and pressed to the damaged area. You need to hold it until the bleeding stops completely.


Don't eat hot food

For the next few days, until the mucous membrane of the tongue is restored, try to eat liquid food. And make sure that the food is not hot, this can also cause pain.

In winter, children are attracted to the street by many things. White and fluffy snow, like crumbly sugar or ice cream. Silvery and iridescent icicles, similar to fruit ice. Snowball fights, swimming in snowdrifts, downhill, skiing and skating, building a snowman. And, of course, every kid strives to lick the piece of iron on the playground.

The baby may accidentally touch the iron with his tongue or stick his lip to the metal. Or maybe try metal products out of curiosity to see what will happen. Especially if the child is regularly and strictly forbidden to lick swings, horizontal bars, carousels, slides and other similar metal objects that can be found in the yard, on the playground and on the street. Let's find out what to do if your tongue is stuck to the iron in the cold.

What not to do

Since the tongue is wet, when it comes into contact with a cold metal surface, the moisture freezes and turns into ice. This is what connects the baby to the cold object. Of course, the baby begins to cry a lot and twitch his tongue. The main thing is not to panic. Reassure the child and tell him not to pull his tongue, otherwise it will hurt even more.

Under no circumstances should you pull the baby by force or tear your tongue off the iron. This way you will seriously damage the mucous membrane. As a result, the tongue will take a long time to heal and is extremely painful. In addition, do not pour boiling water, otherwise you will get a severe burn!

On the Internet you can often find advice about gently warming a metal object with a lighter. But this is extremely dangerous. You may further injure or simply frighten the injured child. In addition, you still won’t heat the required section of the piece of iron.

How to help your child

The safest and most gentle option is to warm it up with breathing. This warmth is enough to thaw your tongue in the cold. Place your palms as close to the baby's tongue as possible and start breathing. As soon as the tongue begins to come off, carefully move the crumb away from the metal.

If a child sticks his tongue to the iron, warm water will help, but not boiling water! Pour water over the metal surface as close to the sticking point as possible. Alternatively, fill a plastic bag with warm water and apply the bag to the desired area.

You can take warm water by running home or to a nearby cafe, supermarket, and so on. However, if you and the baby are just the two of you and there is no one to look after him, you are unlikely to leave the baby alone. Therefore, many recommend taking a thermos with warm water, compote or tea for a walk. By the way, warm tea or compote will help you have a snack or warm up during a long walk or trip out of town.

If the tongue gets stuck in the cold to a small metal object that can be moved, such as a ski pole or sled, move the child and the object to a warm room. In warm air the surface will warm up and fall off by itself. To speed up the process, you can also use warm water or heat the area with a hairdryer.

If the tongue is injured

If the child does tear off the tongue or you disconnect it carelessly, the mucous membrane will be damaged. There is no need to run to the doctor; rinse your tongue or lip with warm water. If blood is oozing from the wound, blot with a cotton pad containing diluted hydrogen peroxide.

You can use anti-inflammatory gel on both lips and tongue. And then in about a week the wound will heal completely. If the wound is large, bleeding and has not even begun to heal in the first two or three days, or the tongue has turned black, consult a doctor immediately!

Do not apply snow or ice under any circumstances! This further irritates the mucous membrane and increases the risk of infection. The famous doctor Komarovsky advises treating the wound using Chlorhexidine.

During the healing process, do not give your baby too hot or cold food, spicy or salty foods. It is recommended to give the products in crushed form, as chewing will slow down healing.

How to prevent

To prevent such a situation, many parents hold explanatory conversations and prohibit their child from licking anything in the cold. However, prohibitions will not help here, but will only provoke the baby, and he will want to taste the metal object out of curiosity. In addition, it may stick to the piece of iron accidentally.

Some parents are even ready to conduct an experiment: they take the child outside and give him something cold or frozen metal. And they ask the baby to lick it to see the result. Of course, this is a last resort method.

Older children can be told how dirty these products are. Tell and show how many harmful bacteria, microbes and worms are on a metal surface. For plausibility, find pictures on the Internet. Tell him that if the baby tries to lick the piece of iron, then all the bacteria will end up on his tongue, and then in his stomach.

Most of us in childhood, despite the orders of our parents, stuck our tongues to the iron in frosty weather. Remember those unforgettable feelings of pain, confusion and helplessness? In the cold, a wet tongue freezes tightly to the metal. Our children are growing up, their curiosity knows no bounds, all the admonitions of parents that certain things should not be done are tested in practice. Why not? By asking this question, the child may decide to experience for himself what will happen. As a result, the child may find himself securely “chained” to the iron on the playground. Usually these are either swings, slides, or children's sleds and shovels. And you can’t scream or call home, the language is “busy.” What to do in such a difficult situation? If you are nearby, then helping your child is not so difficult. The main thing is not to tear the child’s tongue off the iron by force. By the way, some adults also find themselves in similar situations. The methods are as follows:

  1. If an iron object can be moved, immediately take it and carry it home or to any warm room with your foolish child. Gradually it will heat up and the tongue will be freed without serious injury.
  2. If this is not possible, try heating the iron. To do this, water it with warm (not hot!) water. If there is a power source nearby, you can use a hair dryer or similar device. Some people also suggest using urine. Sometimes there is no time for disgust.
  3. If it is not possible to use the previous methods, show your child how to breathe better in order to warm up this area of ​​the iron a little. And with your breathing, help him too. You can also heat it with your palms, preferably through a cloth or mittens. You can use a lighter, a gas burner, or whatever else you have at hand. But this should be done carefully so as not to burn the child’s tongue and lips. The surface will gradually heat up and millimeter by millimeter it is necessary to free the tongue caught in the “trap”. By the way, it is advisable to teach your child this method of liberation in advance. You will not always be nearby at this exciting moment of understanding the environment.
  4. Tear your tongue off the metal. The most unpleasant and not recommended method. As a result, serious injuries occur. In this case, the child will experience hellish pain, the tongue will bleed heavily.

Even the first methods of freeing a child’s language do not always pass without a trace, not to mention the tough fourth method. How to treat the tongue after its introduction to iron?

If the first three methods are used, there will be no injuries, or there will be microtraumas. You just need to rinse your tongue with warm water. If your child tore his tongue off the piece of iron using force, leaving part of the mucous membrane on the metal, then the injury will be very severe. The blood will simply gush out. Germs can enter the wound and cause infection. In this case, you should again wash the wound with warm water, then treat it with hydrogen peroxide to disinfect. After completing these procedures, immediately seek help from the emergency room and get advice from a specialist who will prescribe treatment if necessary. Be prepared to feed your child liquid food almost through a tube for several days.

Of course, any parent dreams that this will not happen to their baby, but the likelihood of a child’s tongue becoming familiar with metal on frosty days is extremely high. Some people solve this problem simply - they don’t focus on it, hoping that it won’t even occur to him to try to lick the iron. Someone acts differently - they clearly explain to the child what can happen in such a case and how to save themselves in this situation. It all depends on the parental approach and the child’s temperament.

It wouldn’t hurt to study all the ways to free a child’s tongue from its iron captivity.

Why is my tongue frozen? Children's curiosity sometimes exceeds all boundaries. In winter, the child usually wears a lot of uncomfortable clothes. They incorrectly restrict the movement of their bodies and restrain the violent children's energy. Then the eyes or thoughts begin to “run” quickly. Don't let your child indulge, distract him from bad thoughts with useful activities. and get maximum pleasure, written in another article.

If a metal object comes into your field of vision that stands out favorably from the snow-covered landscape, then you really want to touch it, at least with your tongue, in order to understand how it differs from other objects.

Understanding comes instantly. The tongue painfully freezes to the iron and does not allow one to speak. Surely some adults remember this feeling. It is not forgotten. The child begins to scream, despite the fact that his tongue is frozen. It is immediately clear that this is precisely the reason for his screams.

It is urgent to provide first aid

  1. Warm up the iron. If your tongue is frozen not far from home, you can quickly take out warm water and pour it on the metal. If this is not possible, you will have to warm the iron with your own breath.
  2. Increase the ambient temperature. This is the case if the tongue is frozen to a small metal object that can be carried with the child. Any warm room will do.
  3. Tear off the frozen tongue from the metal surface. I do not recommend this method because it is very painful. In addition, a bleeding wound remains on the tongue. One day, an anxious neighbor came to my house to buy hydrogen peroxide to treat the bloody surface of his daughter’s tongue. Determined dad didn't know what to do when this happened. He couldn’t think of anything better than to tear his beloved child away from the iron, leaving a deep mark in the baby’s memory.

In order not to take extreme measures, it is better for parents to know the first two methods of first aid if the tongue is frozen.

Also competently provide assistance for other conditions, for example.

And then something unpleasant happened: the child licked the iron in the cold. No, no, don't tear it off. Let's start our conversation with what you shouldn’t do if your tongue sticks to the iron in the cold:

  • do not Cry. A scream can frighten the child even more and provoke a sudden movement, and the mucous membrane of the stuck tongue or lips will be damaged;
  • do not force your child away from the icy surface;
  • Do not use a lighter to heat iron. First of all, it can be scary. Secondly, you can burn the child's face. Thirdly, this is ineffective, since it will not be possible to heat the metal in the right place to the optimal temperature;
  • You should not water the frozen area with urine, as some extreme sports enthusiasts recommend.

What to take with you for a walk in the frosty season?

  1. Spare gloves or mittens for yourself and your child.
  2. Thermos with warm tea. Again, for yourself and the child.
  3. Napkins.
  4. A rich cream for babies that protects against frost.

What to do if your tongue is frozen to the iron in winter?

So, your baby licked the iron in the cold. You are confused, he is scared.

The algorithm of your actions should include several sequential steps:

  1. Calm the child down. Explain that troubles happen and you are not angry.
  2. Ask your child to breathe by directing air onto the metal. Try to breathe purposefully as well. Perhaps the warm breath will melt the ice and you will be able to free the baby.
  3. You can try to warm the metal with your hands.
  4. If you or other mothers have water (not necessarily warm), pour it between the stuck tongue and the iron.
  5. If there is no water or people nearby, try to melt the snow (unhygienic, but better than tearing it off by force).

How can you prevent such a situation?

There are also “preventive” measures that can be used to prevent licking of metal in the cold:

  1. Offer your child an experiment. Take a clean metal object (spoon, buckle) from home. Let it cool in the cold and offer to lick it with your tongue so it sticks. Since the item is small, it will easily warm up, and you will be able to go home with it.
  2. Or another option. Let the child grasp the cold object with his hand so that he feels sticking with his hand. Explain that it will be even more difficult to peel off the tongue and lips.

What to do when you return home?

But it still happened that the baby twitched and damaged the delicate mucous membrane of the tongue. How to treat such a wound? What you can do to help your child at home:

  • you came home. The child is crying, blood is flowing from the tongue or lip. First, wash your hands, take either a bandage or sterile wipes. Give it to the child and try to persuade him to press the napkin to the wound and hold it with his hand. If the child is small or, most likely, afraid of even greater pain, blot the blood yourself.
  • look at what antiseptics you have, treat the wound (Miramistin, Chlorhexidine);
  • within a few days after the injury, the tongue will swell and hurt, which means that it is necessary to give the child non-spicy pureed food, rinse the mouth with chamomile decoction, saline solution, and soda solution;
  • It is possible to use children's sprays to treat the throat. They need to be sprayed on the wound.

If discharge appears from the wound or the mucous membrane darkens, you should consult a doctor.

When winter comes, don't skimp on your time. Explain safety rules to your child. You are a mother, and he will listen to you sooner than anyone else. After all, if the child’s tongue is already frozen, it’s too late to explain.

Enjoy your winter walks!

In winter there is not only ice and a car that does not want to start in the morning, in winter this can also happen...


Anyone can stick their tongue or lips to a metal object, and anyone can find a motive for this.

A child freezes to metal objects most often for three reasons:

  • He is driven by curiosity (how can you not taste the swing in the yard, dusted with frost).
  • Feeling conflicted. If a child is constantly told at home or in the garden: “Don’t lick swings and other metal objects!”, of course, as an inquisitive person, he should try it.
  • An accidental fall can also lead to the child opening his mouth and freezing his lips or tongue to the iron; this most often happens on children's slides.

Almost the same reasons for adults:

  • Curiosity. I didn’t have time to try it as a child, but I’ll catch up now.
  • For a bet. The most common cause among adults. “I bet I can lick this piece of iron and it won’t stick!”
  • Accidentally.
  • The simplest thing in this situation is if the object to which the tongue is stuck (for example: a sled or a metal toy) can be taken with the victim to a warm place. Carefully move the child, and small children most often freeze to such things, to a warm place and wait a little while they “thaw”.

But usually people freeze to rather bulky objects, which are unlikely to be moved. If you find yourself close to such a victim, here are some tips:

  • The very first and most important advice: do not try to forcefully tear a child or adult away from the object to which he is stuck! This can lead to very painful injuries.
  • Try to warm the sticking area with your breath. If there are several of you rescuers, things will go much faster.
  • It's worth trying to warm the object itself. If it is a swing, try heating it a short distance from the immediate “joining” point.
  • If you are near your home or store, run for warm water (not hot!) and carefully pour over the frozen area.

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As a child, many people tried to lick something iron in the cold: a spatula, a door lock. Probably, most often it is a swing. The sensations from such a feat are unforgettable - the tongue immediately sticks to the surface of the iron. It’s impossible to tear it away; if you try, sparks come out of your eyes, and blood flows from your tongue.

How to help a child who has his tongue stuck to the iron

Children grow up and become parents. And now they themselves find themselves in a situation when their beloved child, on a walk on a frosty day, touches the doorknob or swing with his tongue. You can get rid of iron only by “tearing off” the tongue, often along with the skin.

Such a wound, fortunately, is rarely deep, but requires urgent washing. First, you need to rinse it with warm boiled water, then with hydrogen peroxide. The action of peroxide will help remove dirt that has gotten inside and dry the wound a little. If the bleeding is small, it will stop on its own. For a more extensive wound, a hemostatic sponge can help, or a sterile bandage folded several times is also suitable - it is properly pressed to the damaged area and held until the bleeding completely stops.

In more severe cases, the child should be shown to a doctor. But, as a rule, such a need almost never arises.

How to Avoid Serious Injuries

If the parents were unable to convince the child not to taste the glands on the street, alas, all that remains is to monitor him. Let's say the child did lick the iron swing and stuck to it. A few attempts will be enough for him to understand how painful it is to tear off his tongue on his own. Parents in such a situation can help avoid too deep wounds.

The stuck area can be carefully poured with warm water. But this advice is not useful to everyone - hardly anyone takes a kettle with hot water with them on a walk. This can only be done if the trouble happened in the yard of your house and warm water is always available. You can also do this: show your child how to carefully breathe through his mouth on the stuck area. Warm air gradually warms the gland and the tongue can be removed, but this must be done very carefully, millimeter by millimeter.

Be very attentive to children while walking. Take the time to tell us about the consequences of touching metal objects in the cold. In every yard there is at least one of the structures for children that is made of metal - these can be slides, swings, and stairs. It is better to tell your child about this in time than to later remove the stuck tongue from the swing.

Most of us in childhood, despite the orders of our parents, stuck our tongues to the iron in frosty weather. Remember those unforgettable feelings of pain, confusion and helplessness? In the cold, a wet tongue freezes tightly to the metal. Our children are growing up, their curiosity knows no bounds, all the admonitions of parents that certain things should not be done are tested in practice. Why not? By asking this question, the child may decide to experience for himself what will happen. As a result, the child may find himself securely “chained” to the iron on the playground. Usually these are either swings, slides, or children's sleds and shovels. And you can’t scream or call home, the language is “busy.” What to do in such a difficult situation? If you are nearby, then helping your child is not so difficult. The main thing is not to tear the child’s tongue off the iron by force. By the way, some adults also find themselves in similar situations. The methods are as follows:

  1. If an iron object can be moved, immediately take it and carry it home or to any warm room with your foolish child. Gradually it will heat up and the tongue will be freed without serious injury.
  2. If this is not possible, try heating the iron. To do this, water it with warm (not hot!) water. If there is a power source nearby, you can use a hair dryer or similar device. Some people also suggest using urine. Sometimes there is no time for disgust.
  3. If it is not possible to use the previous methods, show your child how to breathe better in order to warm up this area of ​​the iron a little. And with your breathing, help him too. You can also heat it with your palms, preferably through a cloth or mittens. You can use a lighter, a gas burner, or whatever else you have at hand. But this should be done carefully so as not to burn the child’s tongue and lips. The surface will gradually heat up and millimeter by millimeter it is necessary to free the tongue caught in the “trap”. By the way, it is advisable to teach your child this method of liberation in advance. You will not always be nearby at this exciting moment of understanding the environment.
  4. Tear your tongue off the metal. The most unpleasant and not recommended method. As a result, serious injuries occur. In this case, the child will experience hellish pain, the tongue will bleed heavily.

Even the first methods of freeing a child’s language do not always pass without a trace, not to mention the tough fourth method. How to treat the tongue after its introduction to iron?

If the first three methods are used, there will be no injuries, or there will be microtraumas. You just need to rinse your tongue with warm water. If your child tore his tongue off the piece of iron using force, leaving part of the mucous membrane on the metal, then the injury will be very severe. The blood will simply gush out. Germs can enter the wound and cause infection. In this case, you should again wash the wound with warm water, then treat it with hydrogen peroxide to disinfect. After completing these procedures, immediately seek help from the emergency room and get advice from a specialist who will prescribe treatment if necessary. Be prepared to feed your child liquid food almost through a tube for several days.

Of course, any parent dreams that this will not happen to their baby, but the likelihood of a child’s tongue becoming familiar with metal on frosty days is extremely high. Some people solve this problem simply - they don’t focus on it, hoping that it won’t even occur to him to try to lick the iron. Someone acts differently - they clearly explain to the child what can happen in such a case and how to save themselves in this situation. It all depends on the parental approach and the child’s temperament.

It wouldn’t hurt to study all the ways to free a child’s tongue from its iron captivity.

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