Childrens First Aid

As a parent, guardian or caregiver to children their safety is of paramount importance. Children can be unpredictable, get themselves in many scrapes and situations that can leave an untrained person in an anxious and precarious position. That's why many parents choose to take a children's first aid course to learn how to deal with certain situations and remain cool, calm and collected when doing so.

Children can be hyperactive and extremely unaware of the activities they do are dangerous. It's not 100% possible to always keep them from trouble and it's only quick thinking and being trained in children's first aid that will help you save them from injury or worse. Children are very fragile and as they have small organs, you must work quickly and efficiently to stop any potential dangers from being fatal.

Remember that your little ones rely on you to feed, look after and take care of them completely, and it's your duty to have the skills necessary to help them when they need it most. If they are choking, cut or bruise themselves then you should have the necessary equipment to help ease their pain and give them emotional support to calm their nerves and suffering. Learning CPR is one of the most vital skills a parent or caregiver can have in their cache. Mouth to mouth resuscitation and administering chest compressions is slightly different for children compared to CPR on adults, so it's vital that you know what to do, when and for how long.

Being prepared with these skills is something that will give you confidence should the worst ever happen. No one wants to have to perform CPR on a child but with their obsession with putting objects in their mouth and being inquisitive as they are, there's high likelihood of choking occuring. It's not just your own child's life that you could save, it could be their friend's or other children nearby that need assistance and no one might have the children's first aid skills you have. There is simply no reason not to know CPR or first aid for children if you are a parent.

In the UK alone, around 3,000 children under the age of four years old due from choking accidents and in most cases, the child is under the age of two years old. As babies are so small, they respond to CPR treatment very quickly compared to adults, especially if the heart has just collapsed. Ensuring the airway is not blocked, that they are breathing and that there is circulation should be signs you look for when checking on a child that is in difficulty. You have around 4-6 minutes before a child will die from lack of breathing, so it's vital that you know children's first aid and CPR before you call for an ambulance.

As you can see, there is categorically no reason not to know children's first aid and CPR when you're a parent or looking after children. Once you know it, you'll never forget it and the confidence to help a child in need will always be with you.