This study reviews all open fractures treated at a tertiary children's hospital from 1990 to 1995 to determine whether delaying surgical debridement influences the rate of infection in the pediatric population. One hundred four open fractures were followed until both clinical and radiographic union was evident. A 1.0% rate of infection requiring surgical drainage, and a 1.0% rate of soft-tissue infection managed with oral antibiotics alone was found. Infection rates for fractures treated within 6 h of injury was 2.5%, and for fractures treated with >6 h delay was 1.6%. No significant statistical difference in infection rate with delay in surgical debridement was found (p = 0.77). Delays of 5 and 16 h were found in the two fractures complicated by infection, compared with an average delay of 12 h for those that healed uneventfully. Our findings suggest that in children given early parenteral antibiotics, operative irrigation and debridement may be delayed >6 h without an increased risk of infection. As this series contains only 18 patients with grade III open fractures and nine patients whose surgery was delayed >24 h, conclusions should not be made in these groups.