Here - Health Promotion Agency

Illness and accidents
COPING WITH
ACCIDENTS
You’ll have to cope with
some accidents while your
child is young, mostly minor,
but some may be major.
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Learn basic first aid, or
revise what you already
know. There’s information
on the following pages.
You can also buy books.
Better still, do a first aid
course. Courses are run by
St. John Ambulance
and your local NHS
Ambulance Service.
These organisations have
local branches. Look in
your phone book, or
contact the address on
page 150 or ask your
health visitor to organise
a course.
The Royal Life Saving
Society UK arranges
courses in baby resuscitation
skills. If you would like to
enquire about courses in
your area, or would like
further information, then
telephone 01789 773994
or fax 01789 773995.
A step-by-step emergency
sequence leaflet Save a
baby’s life on the steps to
take when a baby is
choking or stops breathing
is available for £3 from
River House, High Street,
Broom, Warwickshire B50
4HN – please send a large
stamped addressed envelope.
Make sure you know
what to do to get help in
an emergency. See inside
the back cover.
E MERGENCY FIRST AID
If, for whatever reason, you think
your child may have stopped
breathing, first you must make sure
that it is safe for yourself and any
other child to approach. For example,
if your child has had an electric
shock, you will need to turn the
power off before approaching. If this
is not possible, push the child away
from the source of the shock with a
A OPEN THE AIRWAY
1 Place your child on any firm surface.
2 Put one hand on your child’s forehead
and the other under the chin and gently
lift the chin with two fingers.
B CHECK BREATHING FOR UP
TO 10 SECONDS
1 Put your ear close to your child’s mouth.
2 Look to see if the chest is rising
and falling.
3 Listen for sounds of breathing.
4 Feel for breath on your cheek.
5 Do this for up to 10 seconds.
6 Look inside the mouth for any obvious
obstruction which can be removed easily.
7 Do not touch the back of the throat: young
children’s palates are very soft and may
swell or bleed, further blocking the airway.
8 If your child is not breathing, give two
breaths of mouth-to-mouth ventilation
(see page 113), then check circulation.
C CHECK CIRCULATION FOR
UP TO 10 SECONDS
For babies (under one year)
Assess for signs of life. Check for signs of
circulation such as movement, including
swallowing and breathing, for
up to 10 seconds.
For children (over one year)
Assess for signs of life. Check for signs of
circulation such as movement, including
swallowing and breathing, for up to
10 seconds.
wooden object, such as a broom
handle or other non-conducting
object, then try gentle stimulation by
tapping the feet or stroking your
child’s neck and shouting ‘hello’ or
‘wake up’. If you get no response
from your child, then he or she is
unconscious and you must follow the
ABC of resuscitation shown below.
You should also call for help.
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