Paediatric First Aid

First Aid for children and infants

A Paediatric First Aid course is ideal for parents, grandparents, caregivers, childminders, schools and businesses involved in childcare.

As parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles or professional childminders the thought of an accident or incident occurring while looking after your own or someone else's child can be a scary thought, especially for those who may be in rural areas where the emergency services may not be as easily accessible.

Paediatric first aid comes with its own challenges and a fundamental part of being human is the wish to preserve life, especially a young life. It is hard wired into us to want to do something to help. It doesn’t have to be a grand heroic act, it can be something as simple as staying calm and being the one who is able to relay the details of the situation to the emergency services. 

We have spoken previously about using the what3words app to enable the emergency services to get to your precise location. Even downloading this app and having instant access to those important 3 words can be a life saving act. This is especially true if you are out with children in parks or day trips away from your usual residence or nursery setting.

Paediatric first aid courses are a great way to boost your confidence and knowledge. All first aid courses are full of information, techniques and skills. Physical techniques like the recovery position or how to deal with a choking incident, all the way up to mental skills. An excellent quality of a first aider is to know the importance of staying calm, how to react to bystanders who may want to help but can be a hindrance and to be able to apply any knowledge that you have previously learnt. It is not only the practical first aid skills that are important but it's knowing how to safely handle the situation and acting swiftly.

A good paediatric first aid course should cover areas such as;

• Assessing an emergency situation
• Provide First AId knowledge to an infant or child eho is unresponsive and either breathing or not breathing normally.
• External bleeding
• Foreign body obstruction in the airway
• Burns, scalds, bites and stings
• Anaphylaxis
• Injuries to bones, joints and muscles also head or spinal injuries
• Those suffering from a chronic medical condition or sudden illness

There are many other topics covered but perhaps the most important is the paediatric first aid course you choose should meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Life saving skills are often thought to only be necessary for trained professionals like doctors, nurses and emergency services but these professionals can often do more if there has been a  quick assessment and reaction by a first aider on scene.

We all have the ability to perform life saving acts.