As a parent it's second nature to look after our child. We help them safely across the road, we apply antiseptic cream to a cut or graze and we make sure their seatbelt is properly fastened.
We just know what to do to keep them safe, we instinctively assess risk because we have confidence in our parenting ability. Which is why learning CPR is really important - it helps to be prepared and act quickly if the worst was to happen and we found ourselves in an emergency situation.
Bitesize Parenting spoke to Flora Streeter, a St John Ambulance first-aider, to get some pointers on performing CPR on a child. Watch the video below, or read on for guidance on what to do if a they become unresponsive and aren't breathing.
Flora: I think it's really important to learn first aid, just in case.
There are so many things as parents that we do, just in case - we makesure that our child has a correct fitting car seat. We check what
baby bottles they like, we put them into the best school for themand so many things we do, not knowing whether it will berelevant or not. We're not planning on crashing our car that day,
but we're prepared just in case. And those seconds really matter.So you can make the difference between your child dying,potentially - er recovering, and recovering well.
There's so many options in your community for you to go andhave a practice, but even just watching a video online can bereally, really helpful for you. It's just about being proactive andgoing out and learning so that the first time it happens to you,you don't feel like it's a shock or you're not quite understandingwhat emergency services are describing for you to do.
What to do if your child becomes unresponsive or stops breathing?
The first thing that you want to do is call 999 and put your phoneon speaker so that you're free to follow their instructionsthroughout the course.
You're going to check for normal breathing. And so that meansthat no gasping or sudden breath. You want completely normalbreathing. If they're not breathing normally, start CPR.
For babies and children we're going to start with five rescuebreaths, making sure that you cover the baby's mouth and nose.
And for a child, just the mouth.
You're then going to give 30 chest compressions right in thecentre of the chest, and then you're going to go back to yourrescue breaths. So two rescue breaths, 30 compressions, tworescue breaths, 30 compressions. And keep going until either adefibrillator arrives or the baby starts breathing again. It's really,
really important that you don't hesitate and that you have thatconfidence in your knowledge of not just having practised itbefore, but just hang on. I need to act now . If they're telling me todo this, I need to do this.
How does CPR work?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a way of supporting breathing and circulation if a person's heart has stopped pumping blood to their brain.
It's meant to be temporary, until the cause can be treated - by a heart "shock" (defibrillation), with medication, or by treating the cause of the heart not working properly.
CPR has two components - rescue breaths and chest compressions.
Rescue breaths support the exchange of oxygen into the blood. When performing a rescue breath, you seal your mouth over a person's and manually breathe air into their mouth, supplying them with oxygen. As you administer a breath, their chest should rise and then fall as you release the seal.
Chest compressions support the circulation of oxygenated blood around the body. For a child you should place one hand in the centre of their chest. You should push to a third of their chest depth, then release and allow the chest to inflate fully. This should be done to a speed of around 100 to 120 beat per minute. Pushing to the beat of 'Stayin' Alive' by The Bee Gees is a good way to keep this rate up.
CPR should only be used if someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally.
Why is it important to learn CPR?
Learning first aid "just in case" is like anything else you might do as a parent to keep your child safe, explains Flora.
"Those seconds really matter in an emergency" she continues, and knowing what to do in an emergency could make a huge difference for their recovery.
She recommends learning, and practising, the correct procedure for CPR. Being proactive means that you know exactly what a 999 operator is instructing you to do in an emergency and it doesn't come as a shock.
"There are so many options in your community for you to go and have a practise", but you could even watching a "video online" to give you a better understanding.
Below is a brief outline for the CPR procedure for a child, provided by St John Ambulance. They have detailed guidance and video demonstrations for giving CPR to children on their webpage.
How do you perform CPR on a child?
Use the prompts "Check – Call – CPR" to act quickly in an emergency
If performing rescue breaths on a baby make sure that your mouth covers the baby's mouth and nose. And for a child, just cover their mouth with your mouth.
Check if the child is unresponsive
- If unresponsive, call 999 and set your phone to speaker function
Follow the advice given
Check for normal breathing
If the child is not breathing normally, start CPR
Give 5 rescue breaths using mouth-to-mouth technique
Give 30 chest compressions
Continue 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths
The guidance in this article is not intended to replace medical advice. If you suspect someone is having a cardiac arrest, or any other kind of medical emergency, call 999 immediately and follow their instructions.
For wellbeing support, visit BBC Action Line.
The NHS offers detailed guidance for how to perform CPR.
For detailed guidance and videos, visit St John Ambulance dedicated pages for performing CPR on children and babies.
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