First Aid for Kids and Children

My son, Matthew, got burnt today. He was going to take a bath when he used the hot water to wet his legs. I heard him from the second floor of the house crying. Went straight to the exit sign. That’s when I knew that he got burned by that hot bath water.

I was scared to death at that time. I thought that he’ll have the burn scar for life. Good thing it didn’t end that way.

That made me think, we should have first aid kits and knowledge of first aid so we can respond properly in such situation.

That’s why I did a quick search for first aid to be applied for kids and wanted to share it here:

For the purposes of these instructions, a child is considered to be between one year to puberty .

If you have someone with you, send them to dial 999 (or 112) for an ambulance immediately.
If you are alone, carry out CPR for approximately 1 min before you dial 999 (or 112) for an ambulance.

Give 5 Rescue Breaths

Ensure the airway is clear.
Close your lips around the child’s mouth and pinch the nose.
Blow softly into the lungs while looking at the chest as you breathe. Ensure you take shallow breaths and do not empty your lungs totally.
When the chest inflates and rises, stop blowing and allow it to fall.
Repeat four times then check for circulation.

Give 30 Chest Compressions

Place 1 or 2 hands in the centre of the chest (depending on the size of the child.
Use the heel of that hand with arms straight and press down to a third of the depth of the chest.
Press 30 times, at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
After 30 compressions, follow with 2 rescue breaths.

Continue resuscitation (2 rescue breaths to 30 compressions) ensuring you don’t stop until help arrives.

Notes:

When alone, carry out chest compressions and rescue breaths for 1 minute before leaving the child to call an ambulance. If you are familiar with adult CPR and have no knowledge of child CPR, use the adult sequence. It is possible to identify the correct hand position without removing the child’s clothes.