Amanda Thornton created the Child Revive First Aid course in 2010. Designed to give parents and carers the confidence to help their child in an emergency, it teaches paediatric CPR and first aid. Through that course, Amanda and her team now train over 2500 parents each year.
Read Amanda's tips on keeping calm in an emergency, and how to treat burns and fevers at home.
Read on to learn how to treat a choking child, and what to do about cuts, scrapes and other minor wounds.
Pressure stops bleeding
Given that a child's head is large and heavy, it makes minor knocks to the head a common occurrence during the first few years of life. Unfortunately wounds to the head and inside the mouth do bleed considerably. The good news is that they're usually easily controlled by placing direct pressure over the wound with a clean pad or similar item, and most wounds inside the mouth are left to heal on their own.
Once the bleeding has stopped, a decision needs to be made about dressing the wound. If the wound is small, plaster (band aid) or butterfly strips may be enough – if managing the wound at home, then ideally clean with saline and apply antiseptic before applying the dressing. For larger wounds, either see a local doctor for medical gluing, or go to hospital for stitching.
Remember to keep a watch for signs of head injury and seek medical assistance if there are any unexpected changes.
Minor Cuts and Scrapes Posted by Child Revive First Aid on Thursday, 23 July 2015
Slaps work best for choking
In a choking emergency, the child's own cough is most effective, but if their airway is completely obstructed they won't be able to produce this cough. In that case, you need to take immediate action.
Place the child facedown over your lap, and give them a firm downward slap (back blow) using the heel of your hand, aiming for between their shoulder blades. If you can hear them cry the airway is clear; if not, repeat the process up to another four times.
If still unsuccessful, lay them on their back tilted downward over your lap, and commence the chest thrusts. These are normally provided with the heel of the hand, but in infants who are less than a year old, use two fingers. The chest thrust should be firm and aimed to the centre of the chest. Again, give up to five thrusts if needed.
If still unsuccessful, call Triple-0 and repeat the five back blows then five chest thrusts until the airway is cleared or the child becomes unresponsive, at which time CPR should be commenced.
Choking in Children Posted by Child Revive First Aid on Sunday, 6 December 2015
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