P.Son Scratched Himself on Face in Drool Spot. Not Healing Well. Bright Red.

Why is your 3 year old drooling so much?

Signs of infection: red, hot to the touch, accompanied by fever, and oozing yellow, green, or white pus.

Since it's already been 4 days, I would have it looked at by the pediatrician, and switch from neopsorin to bactracin, which has an antibiotic in it to fight infection.

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If it's continually wet and irritated, it will not heal properly. I would look for signs of infection such as swelling, a white/yellow coating, fever, and it would feel warm to touch.I put some gauze on it will bactracin ointment, and then a bandaid. Is he teething or something? I don't recall my son teething a lot. I would call your pediatrician if it worsens.( the drooling and the cut)

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You might concentrate the Neosporin or Aquaphor on it after he is asleep,
When my 8 year old gets allergies and a runny nose, I still sneak into his room and put Aquaphor under his nose at night.
For the scratch, I would probably stick to the Neosporin.

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Be careful w/Neosporin. I used to use it all the time and then found out I was allergic to it, believe it or not. My wounds don't heal from it and makes me break out even more.

Up the Vit C for the next day or two w/vitamins, oranges and even Emergen-C drink packets for kids if you have to.

You can also try rubbing Vit E oil on it but it might sting him alittle.

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He needs to keep the area dry so that it can heal. It can end up being infected - impetigo is a possibility.

I'm sorry you two are going through this. I would continue the neosporin and try to keep him from drooling on it as much as possible.

Additionally, I would like to recommend that you get your ped to send you to a speech therapist for an evaluation. Your son most likely has weak mouth muscles - it's called weak oral musculature. He NEEDS some help with this. Not only for the drooling problem, but for his speech as well. Kids who drool like this are usually behind on their speech skills. I'll bet your son is too - even if you aren't actually aware of it.

There are a lot of little things that you can do with him to help. She will show you. Fun toys to blow on, little balloons, straws that he cannot bite, that kind of thing. Please do this. It will make a big difference. Three year olds shouldn't be drooling like this.

Good luck,
D.

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I find, that putting meds on young kids during the day doesn't help much, b/c they are always wiping it off somehow! So at night or during nap time, that's when I sneak in and do the mega duty meds.

Just keep the area as clean and dry as possible. You could always put a bandaid with the neosporin on it, then a gauze to keep it dry. But them the scratch will still need air to help it heal. It will take a few days.

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If it is bright red and warm to the touch it could be infected (sometimes there is also puffyness in the infected area). Since he drools in that area his saliva could be irritating it. Humans have a lot of bacteria in their mouths. Make sure you wash it off well with gentle soap and water a few times a day. I would not use anything extra on it for a day and see if there is any improvement, if not call the doc.

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if there is no puss or discharge coming out and its NOT tender to the touch i wouldnt worry about it BUT if it looks like its starting to get a little infected i would worry a little more

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dry the area and then put on original chapstick...it works wonders. good luck!

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If it's not producing pus, it's probably just inflamed and not infected. A gentle cleaning and small application of neosporin is a good start, but I'd try some Lansinoh, the same stuff used for cracked nipples, on top of that to help protect it from further drool. And you may have to increase your daily application rate for a couple of days so it can really start to heal.

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If he runs a fever or the scratch is bright red AND looks inflamed (swollen) or you see any yellow, green or even white around or in the scratch it could be pus forming so you would then need have him seen by a doctor.

Wash it with soap and water, dry it and put "New-Skin Liquid Bandage" on it, you don't put Neosporin on, it's not needed. It's a liquid you brush on, it dries, and protects the wound so it can heal, hospitals apply it over stitches. Their website says "dries rapidly to form a tough protective cover that is antiseptic, flexible, waterproof, and lets your skin breathe. Just brush on New-Skin® Liquid Bandage - One stroke protects the wound by keeping out dirt and germs and provides protections against infection with an antiseptic." Our pediatrician recommended this when my now 2.5 y/o wouldn't keep Band-aids on his forehead when he had stitches last year bec he kept trying to pick at them. You can purchase it at Walgreen's, Walmart, Target, CVS, etc., for about $4 - $5. (And, if you find another brand it should be comparable and do the job as well.)

http://www.newskinproducts.com/en/Products.aspx

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If it's infected, it will get VERY red and a white coating over it....that's the infection.

Even though he drools, it needs a chance to "air out" and be dry. I know it's hard. If your 3 year old is still drooling, talk to the pediatrician to find out if there is a medical problem as well...I don't remember my kids still drooling at 3.

Scratches can take several days to heal. One of the stages of healing is red, a normal red, not a fire engine red.

You might be able to put a small band aid on it at night as well to keep him from scratching it further.

Good luck!

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I would keep putting aquafor on it left and right. My kids have had this happen many times. Put it on him especially before nap time and at bed time when they're least likely to rub it off.