[sugarlumpkin]

My ds (28 months) has gotten 5 splinters over the past couple days. 2 are in his hand and three are in his foot. None of them are sticking out in the slightest. How do I get them out? Will they just surface on their own if left alone? If he were older and I could explain it, I'd just take them out with a needle, like I do for my splinters.

UPDATE: My ds asked me to take out the biggest one (in his big toe) last night. I managed to gently dig out only about half of it

and when he said no more. I put a band aid on it for the night (and also as a reward for him letting me stick that needle in his toe) and it seemed to be a bit closer to the surface this morning, but he would NOT let me mess with it anymore, so I guess I am going to just wait on the others. They are not red and are very small.

Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[mamadelbosque]

Pull them out with super fine tweezers. If you can't get at them you might have to dig them out... its not all that pleasant but *WAY* better than leaving them in. Trust me. I used to get splinters and such in my feet All. The. Time. as a child due to running around the woods barefoot... And we occasionally get them from our floor... Just get a needle, sterlize it (we usually just heat it up with a lighter for a few seconds then let it cool), and dig till you can reach the offending splinter with tweezers.

 

[Ducky5306]

I always let him have a nice hot soak in a bath right before bed then use (sterilized) Tweezers to remove them.. the hot water will soften the skin and bring whatever it is to the surface of the skin.. I do it while he he asleep since its just so much easier! or if he is a light sleeper i'd let him watch a favorite show/DVD and do it then.. Good luck!

 

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I second the warm bath then taking them out idea. Leaving them in could lead to infection.

When I was little I got poked with a pencil and a little piece of the graphite got left in my hand. They figured it would work it's way out as well...it's still in there and visible over 20 years later!

 

[mommy68]

I've always used a sewing needle.

My kids would scream bloody murder while trying to get them out but usually would say they didn't feel a thing after I was done.

For the splinters that seem underneath the skin completely I would sort of push up from one end and it would pop through the skin with a little pressure.

 

[SparklingGemini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommy68 I've always used a sewing needle. My kids would scream bloody murder while trying to get them out but usually would say they didn't feel a thing after I was done. For the splinters that seem underneath the skin completely I would sort of push up from one end and it would pop through the skin with a little pressure.

This is how we do it. With a needle.

If you can work the splinter to pop out of the skin a little bit, you can also try getting it out with a piece of duct tape!

 

[lyterae]

We just did this last night with a needle and a pair of tweezers and a promise of a Dora Band-Aid when we were all done.

She was so excited about the band-aid she didn't care about getting the splinter out.

 

[St. Margaret]

My mom always dug them out with tweezers when I was asleep. She teases me that when I would do anything to DD while she was asleep (her nails when she was tiny, clearing her nose when she had a cold, etc) that I was continuing a grand tradition.

 

[mommy68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini you can also try getting it out with a piece of duct tape!

I'll have to remember that one.

 

[rere]

Sometimes you can get them out with a little glue.Wait for it to dry,pick it off and the splinter might come out with it.

 

[LuxPerpetua]

They'll surface on their own eventually. Just give plenty of long soaks in a warm bath.

 

[zacharysmom]

if your not agaisnt it you can numb the area with a little oral gel or bactine

 

[indigosky]

DD got about 5 splinters in her hand a few weeks ago. I spent a ton of time searching the Mothering archives and Googling, and made a list of about 50 different theories.

My conclusion overall was that in general, even doctors seem OK with leaving splinters in place unless they are getting really red, warm/hot, or creating pus. Most of them apparently work themselves out on their own. Who knew? All those years of having my parents hold down me and my siblings while they did surgery with sewing needles...

There are lots of theories along the lines of "apply x before bed, put on a bandaid, it will help it come to the surface" -- where "x" is olive oil, baking soda paste, other things.

DD had never worn a bandaid, so we put a plain bandaid on the splinter (nothing underneath it) before bed a couple nights, making a big show of letting everyone in the family get a bandaid first. We didn't know if she would leave it on, so we figured no use getting her all oily or pasty. But she did leave it on. And lo and behold, the next morning her biggest splinter was sticking out a teeny bit, and I easily pulled it out with my fingers.

All the smaller ones seem to have worked themselves out with no problem. Some were there for a few weeks but never got red.

 

[KarlaC]

If you can work them toward the surface, use a piece of really sticky tape. Slap the tape over the splinter & usually it pulls it right out.

Worked great when my dd was scared to death of the tweezers for whatever reason her toddler brain had made them into something horrible.

 

[mamadelbosque]

IDK, I've had a lot of splinters in my life.. and not one ever worked its way out on its own. Despite having left some in for days before I broke down and admitted that I had a splinter to my parents and had them dig it out. And by then it just hurt more cause all the skin had grown over it... Mostly I just got really good at knowing when something was about to give me a splinter and pulling back just in time to keep said thorn or whatever from ever actually getting stuck in my foot...

 

[momasana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini you can also try getting it out with a piece of duct tape!

I am glad I am not the only one who does this!

 

[Red Pajama]

If the splinter can't be felt at the surface, I leave it in. One of my twins had numerous in the tops of his feet one summer when he was two-- it wasn't worth the screaming that digging them out would cause. The splinters do work themselves out, but it takes time-- two weeks?

My mother uses a "drawing salve" under a band-aid to soften the skin and encourage a splinter to come out. That does speed up the process, if the bandaid stays on.

 

[ZippyGirl]

This is gross, and I don't know how it would work for a toddler, but I've heard banana peel (flesh side against the skin) overnight works.