Basic first aid

It’s essential to have basic first-aid skills as a parent. The risk of potentially catastrophic complications, such as infection of wounds, can be minimized through prompt and effective first-aid. You should, however, be aware of when you should seek professional medical attention – see when to call the pediatrician for more information.

Hot tip To minimize the risk of infection, remember to wash your hands thoroughly before administering first-aid.

Choking

Once babies have discovered their hands and learnt to grasp objects they tend to put everything in their mouths. Keep an eye on your child when he’s eating or playing, in case he puts something in his mouth and starts to choke. ?He may be choking if he coughs and gasps for breath, grasps at his throat or turns red then blue in the face. The blood vessels in his neck and face may bulge. If someone is with you, get them to call 911. If you’re on your own start this sequence immediately and call 911 after you’ve repeated it three times.

For a baby under 12 months…

1. Check inside his mouth and remove any object if you can, being careful not to push the object further down his throat.

2. If you can’t remove the object or can’t see anything, lay him along your forearm with his head lower than his chest and his chin supported by your fingers.

3. Give up to five sharp slaps on the middle of his back with your other hand.

4. If this doesn’t dislodge the item, lay him on his back along your thighs with his head lower than  his body and give him five chest thrusts. To do this, place two fingers a finger’s width below the nipple line in the middle of his chest and press sharply down to a depth of between one and two inches. Do this at a rate of about 20 per minute.

5. Repeat these steps three times, and if they don’t work, call 911 before returning to repeat the sequence again.

If your baby loses consciousness or stops breathing…

1. You’ll need to perform CPR, so lay him on his back and open his airway by tilting his head back slightly with one hand under his chin.

2. Check for signs he’s breathing by placing your cheek close to his mouth.

3. If he isn’t breathing, cover her nose and mouth with yours and give two gentle rescue breaths. Your baby’s lungs are small, so don’t blow too hard or for too long – just one second is sufficient.

4. Give him chest compressions by placing the tips of two fingers just below an imaginary line running between his nipples. Press down smoothly to a depth of around one inch 30 times.

5. When you’ve given 30 chest compressions, give two rescue breaths, continuing to alternate between the two until the ambulance arrives.

For a child over 12 months…

1. Encourage him to cough as much as he can to try to dislodge the item.

2. If this is unsuccessful, bend your child forwards so his head is lower than his chest and give him five firm back slaps between the shoulder blades.

3. Check his mouth is clear in case anything has been dislodged.

4. If this doesn’t work, lie your child on her back and give up to five chest thrusts, again by placing two fingers a finger’s width below the nipple line in the middle of his chest and press sharply down to one third of the depth of his chest. Do this at a rate of about 20 per minute.

5. Check his mouth again in case anything has been dislodged.

6. If this does not work, try giving your child abdominal thrusts (never give abdominal thrusts to babies under a year old). To do this, stand behind your child and put your arms around him. Form a fist with one of your hands and place the thumb side against his abdomen, just above his navel. Grasp your fist with your other hand and give five sharp inward thrusts.

7. Alternate between back slaps and abdominal thrusts until the object is dislodged.

If your child loses consciousness or stops breathing…

1. You’ll need to perform CPR, so lay him on his back and open his airway by tilting his head back slightly with one hand under his chin.

2. Check for signs of breathing or chest movements that indicate he is breathing.

3. If he isn’t breathing give him two rescue breaths by pinching his nostrils and blowing into his mouth until you see his chest rise.

4. Give him chest compressions by placing the heel of your hand on his sternum, in the center of his chest. Place your other hand over it, lace your fingers together and press down to a depth of around one third of your child’s chest. Allow his chest to return to a normal postion before repeating the compressions to a total of 30.

5. Alternate between rescue breaths and chest compressions for two minutes and then call 911.

6. Continue until your child starts to revive or the ambulance arrives.

For more help go to gurgle's video what to do if your child chokes.

Superficial cuts and grazes

Clean the wound thoroughly with soap and water, and apply an antiseptic cream or spray. Cover with a bandage and encourage your child to keep it on, replacing it if necessary, to keep bacteria from entering the wound.

Deeper cuts

Again, clean the wound as thoroughly as you can, apply antiseptic and dress. If the cut is bleeding, try and keep the part of the body elevated to a level above the heart. A general rule of thumb is that you should seek professional medical attention if bleeding doesn’t stop after 15 minutes.

Insect bites and stings

Insect bites and stings are usually more painful than dangerous, unless your child has an allergic reaction to the sting, or the sting is to his mouth or throat, where swelling could affect his breathing. If you can see the sting, brush or scrape it off if possible (don’t use tweezers to try to extract it, as this may cause more poison to be released) and then apply a cold compress for at least 10 minutes. For stings inside the mouth, get your child to suck on something cold, such as a popsicle or ice cube. Signs of an allergic reaction are impaired breathing, a rash or swelling of the face or tongue. If this happens, call 911.

Animal bites and scratches

Animal bites need to be washed thoroughly, disinfected and dressed, and should be given professional medical attention however small, as they can become infected very quickly. It’s also possible the animal that bit your child may have rabies, especially if it was a stray dog, a feral cat or a wild animal.

Rashes

Rashes can be caused by a number of things, ranging from a mild allergic reaction to a plant to prickly heat, which is a condition caused by hot weather. First of all, try washing the affected area in cool water with a little soap, and try and prevent your child from scratching at the rash, as it could cause it to become infected. If the rash is accompanied by difficulty breathing and/or swelling of the mouth and throat, seek immediate medical attention, as this could signal an allergic reaction.

A purplish rash which doesn’t fade under pressure can indicate septicemia, which can be a symptom of meningitis. The simplest way to check this is by firmly pressing a glass on the affected area. If the rash doesn’t fade, seek immediate medical attention.

Burns

As soon as possible, start cooling the burn by holding it under cold running water for at least 10 minutes; then cover with a dressing. If you don’t have a dressing to hand, use something clean that won’t shed fluff, such as a cloth, plastic food wrap such as Saran wrap, or even a plastic bag. As a rule of thumb, any burn which is bigger than a postage stamp requires medical attention.

Splinters

If any of the splinter is protruding, you can try and grip it with a pair of tweezers and carefully pull it out. If the splinter is embedded, try gently squeezing the entry point to see if you can work enough out to enable you to get a grip on it. Soaking the affected area in salt water will help to draw out any splinters but if you can’t get it out don’t keep poking and squeezing, as you risk causing an infection. If you do succeed in getting the splinter out, treat the area with antiseptic spray or cream.

Nosebleeds

Have your child lean forwards (not backwards, contrary to popular belief, as this could cause blood to run down the throat and cause vomiting) so that the blood can drain out of his nostrils. Tell him to breathe through their mouth instead of his nose and gently pinch the soft part of the nose just above his nostrils for 10 minutes. He needs to try to avoid spitting, coughing or sniffing, as this could disturb any blood clots that are forming in his nose. If the bleeding doesn’t stop try the same treatment again for another 10 minutes. If it hasn’t stopped after 30 minutes, seek medical attention.

If you’re in doubt as to what first aid to offer, or you think your baby or child may need medical attention, call 911.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.