World First Aid Day falls on 10th September this year and at Mini First Aid we thought this would be a good chance to give you all a reminder of some of our top first aid tips!
Does your child know how to call for help?
People often forget this one but if you were to have an emergency at home and your little one was the only person with you, would they know what to do? Teach them how to call 999 on your mobile phone and landline if you have one. Make it very clear it is only to be used if the adult they are with is very hurt or poorly and can’t use the phone themselves.
Don’t forget it is no good them calling 999 if they don’t know your address! Teach them it so they know what to say when prompted – you can role play this by making it into a fun game, or use our fantastic book The Mini Adventures of Freddie to help them learn.
For older children, encourage them to use the What 3 Words app on your phone or their own to help emergency services get to the scene quicker.
Treating burns
Our first instinct is to panic in a first aid emergency but with burns it's imperative you don’t – quick action is key. Whatever the size of the burn, you must get it under cool running water immediately. Before you do this, remove any clothing which is in the way, using scissors rather than pulling if skin is stuck to the burn. Then you are ready to cool the burn under running water. Explain to your child this will be uncomfortable as you will need to do it for 20 minutes (or until help arrives via 999), but it’s really important as it will help their skin feel better. Keep the rest of their body as warm as possible whilst cooling the burned area. Try your best not to touch the burn, and don’t apply any creams or lotions to the burn. Wrap the burned area in cling film or a bag to prevent infection and seek medical help.
Minor bleeds
Your absolute priority with a minor bleed isn’t to get it covered up as quickly as possible. Don’t just slap a plaster on it! Your priority is preventing the wound getting infected so make sure that you always clean a wound, even if the bleeding is very minimal. Soap and water are absolutely fine for this, or you can use a wipe from a first aid kit. Once you’re sure it’s clean, then put a plaster on to prevent dirt and germs entering the wound. Bring a smile back with these ever so cute panda plasters. These natural bamboo plasters are compostable, so no need to feel guilty if they fall off at the park!
Choking
Choking is one of the biggest fears for parents who attend our classes, and weaning can be an especially worrying time. Take a look at this picture which shows how foods should be prepared in order to be safe to eat:
Our message at Mini First Aid is Sit, Chop, Chew. We all know children watch our every move from a very early age, so it’s really important to demonstrate safe eating from the get go! This means when eating we SIT on our bottoms (yes, adults too!), CHOP our food carefully (lengthways for things like grapes so foods can’t get lodged in our windpipe) and CHEW thoroughly before swallowing. No more running around whilst eating and inhaling your lunch!!
If the worst happens and your child is choking, use the following methods:
Choking child (aged 1 – puberty)
· Encourage child to cough
· 5 back slaps between shoulder blades. Check if anything comes out & check mouth
· Up to 5 abdominal thrusts. Clenched fist between tummy and breastbone, with other hand over the top. In & upwards motion. Check if anything comes out. If nothing has come out, call 999
· Cycles of 5 back slaps & 5 abdominal thrusts
Choking Baby (aged 0-1)
· 5 back slaps
· Up to 5 chest thrusts (jabbing motion). Check if anything comes out. If nothing has come out, call 999
· Cycles of 5 back slaps & 5 chest thrusts
You must always refer to hospital any child or baby who has been choking and where abdominal manoeuvres have been used.
Want to know more?
You can learn about all of the above techniques and have a chance to get hands on with our baby and child manikins at our 2 hour baby and child first aid class. You can even bring your baby to our relaxed sessions! Alternatively, get a group of family and / or friends together and host a class in the comfort of your own home! As well as the above, our classes also cover meningitis, breaks, febrile seizures and head bumps, giving you the peace of mind to fully enjoy parenting (well, most of it!)
Stay safe out there folks! All the best, Mini First Aid x
