Wood Splinter

Updated on May 23, 2011
K.B. asks from Waterloo, IA
13 answers

I have a 3yr old son that got a splinter in his hand. He doesn't want us to even look at it without him jerking his hand away. It needs to come out any advice on how to get him to hold still?

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

Put a piece if tomato on the splinter and wrap with gauze and tape--leave overnight and the splinter will be gone. Works with glass too.

The acid in the tomato pulls out the splinter. I had a piece of glass in my foot and we couldn't get ot out--I did the toamato trick and the glass was gone the next day.

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E.B.

answers from Duluth on

I often leave them alone, and hope they work their way out, keeping an eye out for infection. If the splinter bothers him, I have used a pumice stone to remove the skin. It doesn't bother my boys like a needle or a a tweezers does and it usually removes the splinter pretty quickly.

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

It'll work it's way out. Unless it's infected, you don't need to do anything with it.

DS (3) just had one a month ago - pretty deep. It took 2 weeks, but it eventually came out on it's own.

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C.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

You can leave it alone and just watch for signs of infection. When my son was 4 he ran into an old wooden mailbox and ended up with about 50 splinters of varying size in his hand and wrist. I took him in and the doctor told us to just leave them alone. They worked themselves out.

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L.M.

answers from Kansas City on

wait for nap time, when he is asleep, clean a needle with surgical alcohol and gently rub the splinter out, pointing the needle downwards, and working around the splinter, if you can see it. (If it is in to deep, leave it for a few days, the body has a way of expelling unwanted objects)

Be gentle, hold his hand softly but firmly - wait until he lies on his tummy so the palm of his hand faces upwards. This will make it easier for you to sit beside his bed/crib and work on his hand.

Did that with a splinter on a toe for my 2 year old. He did not even know I took it out...

Just be veeeeeerrrryyyy gentle.

good luck

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P.H.

answers from Fargo on

I have been always told to leave it alone. He skin will naturally shed and eventually will shed down to the splinter. Keep it clean and put a bandaid over it so it doesn't get infected.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

The duct tape worked for us with a splinter in our son's foot.

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V.B.

answers from Phoenix on

Would he let you glue his hand? :) If the splinter is sticking out at all you can put a very thin layer of plain white school glue over it, let it dry (if the layer is thin enough, it won't take long to dry) and then peel it off, if the splinter was sticking out at all it will come out when you peel the dried glue off. You might put glue on your hand first, show him it doesn't hurt and then try on him. (After you are done, if he goes for it, make sure the glue is put out of reach so he doesn't try himself!!) I did this on my then 3 year old's foot when he got about a dozen tiny stickers in his foot. Good luck!!

M.S.

answers from Lincoln on

Wait unti he's sleep.

C.T.

answers from Detroit on

hold it tight for him. BUT DO NOT SOAK IT IN WATER. the water can make the wood soft and splinter even more.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

You can try waiting until he's asleep.
My kids never went for that but it works with some.
I let my kids hold the tweezers, feel them and see that they weren't sharp and wouldn't hurt. They would sit still as long as they could see exactly what I was doing.
If your kid is really timid, you might have to so the sleep thing.

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K.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

wait til hes asleep-you can trim all his nails take out the splinter-clean his ears-he will sleep right thru it

J.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

We used duct tape. I was actually told to do this by a doc when I shattered a glass on my foot and some got imbedded. It worked on some splinters and not on others. It is ok for hands and feet, but I wouldn't try it on sensitive areas or areas with hair. If you can see which way it is embedded and there is at least a little of it sticking out of the skin then it should work.

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