Planning a backyard barbecue or a camping trip? Make sure your child's wearing the right shoes. A recent University of Florida study found that 69 percent of pediatric foot and ankle burns happened when kids stepped on hot coals, ashes, or embers. Most were wearing open shoes, like sandals, or no shoes at all.

Even smoldering sand or asphalt can injure a child's tender soles, says Jacqueline Sutera, a podiatrist in New York City. If your child's feet get burned or blistered, first check them for pus, swelling, or bleeding. If you see any of these, a doctor should treat his feet.

If there are no signs of serious injury:

1. Wash your child's feet with gentle soap and water, or Epsom salts diluted in warm water.

2. If the blisters are closed, smooth on a thin layer of a burn cream like Silvadene twice daily, and bandage.

3. When the blisters open, put a triple-antibiotic cream and a Band-Aid on them twice daily for a few days.

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