It's knee scraping season.  A scraped knee might look like a minor injury, but it can be painful and may seem like major trauma to your child. With my daughter, it's like the end of the world:).

Here are a few simple tips to help your child's knee scrape injury:

Like other minor wounds, when treating a scraped knee, you should first stop any bleeding by applying pressure to the wound with a bandage or clean cloth. Next, rinse the wound with water and wash the area around the wound with soap and water. Try to remove any dirt, rocks, or other debris from the wound.

Lastly, apply an antibiotic ointment to the wound and cover it with a bandaid or other dressing.

If the wound can't easily be cleaned or begins to show signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, or drainage, then be sure to see your pediatrician.

What about hydrogen peroxide? Remember that experts no longer recommend that you apply hydrogen peroxide to a wound anymore, as it is now believed that it can actually delay healing. (As a kid we used to use this stuff all the time - we'd pour it on and watch it bubble, thinking that all the bubbles were the germs that were being washed away. Guess not.)

With a scraped knee, or other wound, it is important to remind your child to not remove the scab. Removing the scab will only delay the healing process and may make it more likely that your child develops a scar.

A bandaid over the wound, in addition to protecting it from getting dirty, may help keep your child from 'playing' with the wound and picking the scab off.

Source: www.pediatrics.about.com