How to treat burns: Doctor shares most common causes of burn injuries to children

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's Burn Awareness Week, and fires are not the only hazard you should prepare for at home.

Surprisingly, fire is not to blame for most burn injuries to children. Many are caused by hot water or steam and they happen during everyday activities like cooking or bathing.

Dr. Stathis Poulakidas with Cook County Health joined ABC7 Eyewitness News live to discuss what burn hazards you should be aware of inside your home.

"Kids grabbing the parent's coffee on the table, so pushing that back to prevent the child from pulling it down onto themselves is key," Poulakidas said.

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He also said he sees a number of burn injuries in kids due to ramen noodles.

"Children think they can pull the noodles out of the microwave and then they spill them onto themselves, or they think they can hold them in their lap, the cup's too hot and it scalds their groin or their inner thighs," Poulakidas said.

If a child is burned at home, Poulakidas said you should treat the burned area with lukewarm water to relieve some of the pain for the first few minutes.

"You don't want to put it under cold, cold water because that could actually constrict the blood vessels and reduce blood flow to the tissues," Poulakidas said.

Then, cover it with a dry cloth. Poulakidas said you can apply burn creams to minor burns, but anything more significant should be evaluated at a burn center or emergency room.