First Aid for Children
What You Need to Know
FIRST: MAKE SURE THAT THEY NEED HELP
You need to be sure that, before you try to help a child, they really and truly need your help. You can do this by shaking their shoulder and asking if they are ok. For infants, you should flick their foot and see if they respond. If there is no response, call 9-1-1.
WHEN GIVING CPR TO AN INFANT, USE 2 FINGERS ON THE CHEST, NOT THE WHOLE HAND
Using your whole hand to push down on the chest of an infant while giving them CPR can actually seriously harm them. Instead, it is better to use your pointer and middle finger only.
IF A CHILD IS CHOKING, ALTERNATE BACK BLOWS AND ABDOMINAL THRUSTS
When a child is choking, you should alternate between 5 back blows between the shoulder blades and 5 abdominal thrusts, which pull up and into the middle of the child's abdomen.
IF AN INFANT IS CHOKING, ALTERNATE BETWEEN BACK BLOWS AND CHEST THRUSTS
It is important to stay more gentle with infants, so, when one is choking, alternate between 5 back blows in between the shoulder blades and 5 chest thrusts, which consist of putting two or three fingers in the middle of the infant's chest and compressing the chest just over an inch
WHEN A CHILD IS BLEEDING EXCESSIVELY, IT IS IMPORTANT TO APPLY PRESSURE
When it comes to excessive bleeding, the key word is pressure. The child can't afford to lose too much blood, so keeping pressure on the would will inhibit the blood flow and stop much of it from leaving their body.