Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a nurse in the home for any time there is an issue, big or small? Luckily, parents can borrow a nurse’s bag of tricks for many things that come up with their children in day to day life. Many ideas that nurses have come from the skills they have been taught and experience. Common sense is always a big help along the way as well. Here are four health tricks from nurses that could save the day for a parent in need!

1. Adhesive tape and glass

Ever had a glass break and a little one steps on it? Those tiny shards of glass are painful and can be very difficult to pluck out of the wound as well. Rather than get out the magnifying glass and tweezers, take a tip from a nurse. Use tape, whether it is masking tape, duct tape, or scotch tape, to lightly press it to the wound and pull out small fragments of glass. This also works well to get all of the bits and pieces off of the floor.

2. Gauze or a tea bag for a lost tooth

When a child loses a tooth naturally or gets a tooth knocked out, there is likely to be bleeding of the gums. For young ones, this can be particularly frightening. The first bit of advice a nurse will give is to rinse the mouth out. A warm water and salt solution is effective. Next, put a small pad of gauze in the spot where the tooth has been lost and hold it there. A moistened tea bag will work as well and will actually help to stop the bleeding. If the tooth was knocked out by force, it would be wise to take a trip to the dentist to have the child’s mouth checked. This is especially important if it is a permanent tooth.

3. Using gentle restraint

When a child is hurt, it is natural for the child to want to fight being treated, whether it is stitches, cleansing a wound, or doing a complete inspection when an accident is happened. This is the time to get extra assistance. Have one person hold the child’s upper body. Another helper should keep the legs still in order to allow the parent to take care of the problem. Another helpful tip is to allow the child to cover his or her eyes while a cut is being tended or a splinter is being removed to reduce anxiety and stop excess movement.

4. Problems with ear wax

Children often have ear wax build up problems. There are over the counter products that can address this problem. It is also helpful to rinse a child’s ear out with warm water and salt solution. This handy dandy blend is useful for treating so many ailments, including cleansing of minor cuts when no other antiseptic is no hand. Have the little one tip his or her head, use a dropper to squeeze in a few drops, and set a cotton ball in the ear. The child could lie down and let the moist mixture loosen the wax. After about fifteen minutes, remove the cotton ball and swab the outer area with a q-tip.

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Written by Kayla Fisher. Kayla Fisher is a nurse practitioner who contributed to the guide to the best online nursing masters degrees at Top Nursing Programs.