Nipped Baby Finger With Nail Clippers

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nipped baby finger with nail clippers

If the cut is small, you can stop the bleeding by applying gentle pressure for 5 minutes and then cover it with a piece of gauze. If the cut is large or has an artery near it that’s still bleeding, then call 911 or sing to your baby until help arrives.

Nail clipper accidents happen more often than you might think. So, what do you do if you nipped baby finger with nail clippers?

This is a question that most parents have asked themselves unknowingly, and it may be an embarrassing truth to admit. Some of these unfortunate occurrences happen when the baby falls asleep with their hands in their mouth or when they are playing with dangerous objects like nail clippers.

Luckily, there are some easy steps that you can take to help decrease the likelihood of further injury or discomfort after any potential encounter.

This can happen when you are cutting their little fingernails. While the baby is sleeping, it’s the perfect time to cut it. Especially if they are heavy sleepers. But even then, the baby can move its little hand, and there goes the cut.

Before you know it, instead of cutting their nails you’ve cut the tip of their little finger. But this can happen to anyone, even if this is not your first child. At this point, all you gotta do is to make sure the bleeding stops. 

The first thing to do is to make sure your hands are perfectly clean.

Second, make sure your baby’s fingers are clean as well. Use some hot water and even soap to wash off any bacteria that the trimmer might leave.

Then, take a piece of cloth that is sterile and put it on the baby’s wound.

Make a firm pressure and hold it until the bleeding stops. If the cut is small and there’s no blood, you can leave it like that, if not you can put some additional bandage on it.

If the blood’s still running, as mentioned above, contact your pediatrician to make sure it doesn’t come to the infection. 

What do you do if you nipped baby finger with nail clippers? You should monitor your baby’s wound and its behavior for the next few days, if the cut is a bit serious.

Pay attention especially if your baby hasn’t got a tetanus shot yet, or if the baby has a fever. The cut can also become a bit red, or have a discharge, and in any of these cases, go visit the doctor immediately. 

How long does it take for a baby’s finger to stop bleeding?

What do you do if you nipped baby finger with nail clippers? You stop the bleeding. But, how long does it take to stop the bleeding?

Not longer than 10 minutes. If the bleeding however didn’t stop, even though at this stage baby’s cuts stop on their own, you should consider going to the doctor. This way you will be sure that the baby will receive proper care.

We know it. These 10 minutes might seem like forever and might hurt the parent more than the actual baby’s cut, but be patient. It’s probably nothing to worry about. If that’s not the case, then visiting the pediatrician is the best solution.

What happens if you cut a baby’s nail too short?

nipped baby finger with nail clippers
Mother using nail clippers to cut fingernail of infant’s hand

The answer is simple, nothing! Babies have very soft nails and nothing should happen if you cut their nails too short as they will grow out with time.

It’s important for parents to be aware of what can happen when cutting nails on an older child or adult, but there are no risks associated with trimming baby nails when they are too long or too short. 

The most important thing people should do when cutting a baby’s nails is to make sure you have a firm grip on her foot and only use your thumb and one finger to cut the nail, not any other fingers or tools.

Although it’s not usually a big deal, some bleeding and pain may occur if the nail is left entirely too short. The baby might also be in more discomfort and become fussy.

The best way to avoid this is by cutting the nails after a bath or when they are in the process of falling off. This will create healthy nails that grow back quickly without ever becoming too long again!

Can you get tetanus from nail clippers?

Close up of mother cutting babies nails.

Tetanus comes from the dust and dirt, not from metal or rusty objects. This is usually a question when a parent is using any sharp metal objects for their babies, like clippers, scissors, etc. But this bacteria lives in dust and soil. So, before you use any of the mentioned objects, make sure they are sterilized first. 

To avoid this unpleasant situation, just make sure the baby received the tetanus shot and you can sleep safely. 

Can you put Vaseline on a baby cut?

If the cut of the baby is shallow and it’s not deep enough, then vaseline or so-called petroleum jelly will do the job. First, make sure your baby’s hands are clean by washing them with warm water and soap.

Make sure the wound stays moist by applying petroleum jelly. After the bleeding has stopped, clean the wound to remove any remaining vaseline.

Summary 

What do you do if you nipped baby finger with nail clippers? You make sure that the baby’s fingers are clean and make firm pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding. 

We know this situation usually hurts the parent more than the baby. And clippers are not the safest things to use on a baby like putting a hat on newborns. Nobody wants to see their baby cry, but these things can happen. Babies are unpredictable. Even when they are sleeping and they are looking calm and steady, they can move just at the wrong moment and the cut has been made. 

In these situations, you have to make sure that the baby’s cut is clean and prevented from further bleeding.

If the wound is shallow, there’s probably no need to put anything on it. If you think it’s a bit deeper, you can put a bandaid or medical tape on it. 

But, sometimes the cut can be serious. The bleeding is not stopping and it’s been over 10 minutes. This is a time to visit a doctor and make sure your baby is in the right hands. 

All this is very common, and parents, don’t blame yourself. We are here to help and make sure our babies are always safe and sound. 

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catherine

My name is Catherine. I'm a Mom and one of the avid writers working on HerScoop!