A little girl reaches to hold a pot handle on a hot stove, tilting the pot toward her.

Burn Surgery

Experts from the Children’s National Burn Surgery Program and outpatient Burn Clinic are experienced in caring for children with a range of burn injuries. We offer a continuum of care from admission to discharge through rehabilitation, coordinated by our surgical and nursing specialists.

Our Providers

Our pediatric specialists provide personalized care for your child's physical, mental and emotional health needs. Burn Surgery team members are part of the Trauma Care team at Children's National Hospital.

Meet the Team

Contact Information

You can make an appointment with the Burn Clinic by calling 202-476-2150. The clinic’s front desks can be reached at 202-476-2162 (main hospital) or 202-895-3860 (Friendship Heights). Evenings and weekends, call 202-476-5000 and ask for the senior pediatric surgical resident.

Appointments After-hours assistance

Preventing Burn Injuries

Burns from hot liquid, chemicals or fires are the most common childhood accidents. From hot food left on the stove to scorching bath water, there are many potential hazards in every home. That's why childproofing your home as much as possible is essential. Learn how to reduce the risk of burn injuries by following these tips:

Scald Burns (burns by hot liquid)

Did you know that scald burns are the number one cause of burn injury to children under the age of 4 and more than 24,000 children are burned (or scalded) by hot liquids each year? Because children have thinner skin than adults, they are more adversely affected by scald burns. Some scald burns can even result in serious injury or death. There are steps you can take to ensure your child does not need to suffer through a scald burn. Scald burn safety begins by making small changes to your daily routines in the kitchen and bathroom.

Follow these tips to ensure safety:

In the Kitchen

Keep hot liquids out of reach of your child.
Put hot liquids on high counters or tables where toddlers or young children cannot reach them.
Do not place hot liquids on placemats or tablecloths (children can pull the cloths and spill the hot liquid).
Do not heat formula/milk in the microwave and always test the temperature of the baby’s formula and food before feeding.
Never hold your infant or child while holding hot liquids or food.
Turn pot handles towards the back of the stove and never leave food cooking on the stove unattended.
Set your water heater temperature to 120° F / 48.9° C.
Keep frying pans, pressure cookers, crock pots and coffee pots out of your child’s reach; tuck appliance cords away.
Keep your children out of the kitchen.
Do not allow your children to cook without supervision.

In the Bathroom

Never leave your child unattended near hot water sources, such as boiling water or steam baths.
Always supervise children while bathing.
Install temperature-regulated faucets and shower heads.
Test the water temperature on the back of your hand before placing your child in the tub, even when using a tub tester.
Never allow a young child to supervise another child while bathing.

Contact Burns (burns from touching a hot surface)

Never hold your infant or child while cooking.
Keep your child out of the kitchen and never leave food on the stove unattended.
Keep irons, curlers and flat irons out of reach of your child and unplug them when they are not in use.
Keep your child away from fireplaces and glass fireplace doors.
Keep your child away from fire pits and grills.
Keep your child away from hot mufflers (cars, motorcycles and ATVs).

Conditions We Treat

There are three types of burns: superficial, partial thickness and full thickness. The type of burn and how it was caused will decide the treatment. Learn about the burns we treat.

View conditions

Main Hospital

111 Michigan Avenue, NW Washington, Washington DC 20010

1-888-884-2327

Emergency Department Info

Specialty Care

Friendship Heights

5028 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, Washington DC 20016

202-895-3860

202-895-3870

Specialty Care

All Burn Surgery Locations

Educational Videos

Our video series highlights how to prevent burns and how families can help their children in the event that they are burned – with care in the hospital and at home.

View the full playlist

Family Resources

You may want to know when to call us while your child recovers from a burn or wonder how often to change their wound dressing and what happens after their burn heals. Our family resources provide helpful answers.

Learn about recovery from burns

A mom applies sunscreen to her daughter's face at the beach

Sun Safety Tips

Read expert tips on keeping your child safe in the sun in an article on our parenting advice website, Rise and Shine.

Read the article Healthy sun protection (PDF)