Take Notes

The key principles of first aid –

1. Stay Calm
2. Assess the situation
3. Manage the person
4. Do things step by step
5. Assessing ABC

 Do not move an injured child or infant if you suspect that they have
broken a limb or have received trauma to the head, neck or spinal cord.

 To give rescue breaths, tilt the child’s head back to open the airway,
seal your mouth over their mouth and pinch their nose. Blow five
breaths into the child’s mouth. Look for their chest rising, which
indicates that you’re doing this correctly.
 To give chest compressions, place one hand in the middle of the child’s
chest and push down firmly so the chest is compressed inwards
approximately one third the depth of their chest. Then release to allow
the child’s chest to expand back to it’s original position. Give 30 chest
compressions. Chest compressions should be given at a quick,
continuous rate of between 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
 Now blow two times into the child’s mouth followed by 30 chest
compressions.
 Repeat step 3 until help arrives or the child recovers by showing
signs that they are breathing.
 For children over the age of 8 - Use a standard AED.
  For children between 1 and 8 years old - use paediatric pads that are
often provided with the AED. If none are available, a standard AED
can still be used.

 ** If rescue breaths are not possible for whatever reason, chest

compressions should still be given.**


Signs of choking include:

 Coughing, either forcefully or weakly;
 Making high-pitched noises while inhaling, especially noisy breathing
or displaying an inability to cough, speak, cry or breathe;
 Showing signs of panic including clutching the throat with one or both
hands, and/or;
 Having a bluish skin colour and/or becoming unresponsive.


Key actions to remember in the case of bleeding

The techniques to stop bleeding are the same for infants and children.

 It is critical to stop any bleeding in a child or infant who is injured.

Stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure to the wound, holding a
clean dressing, bandage, cloth, or even a plastic bag over the wound, if
available.
 If possible, avoid direct skin contact with the child or infant’s blood to
avoid infection.
 If there is an object sticking out of the wound, do NOT remove it.
Leave it there. Apply pressure to the area around wound. Do not press
the object further in - instead try to stabilise the object if possible whilst
applying pressure.
 After several minutes, assess if the wound is still bleeding. If so, apply
more pressure to the wound. Add more dressings if needed to help stop

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 the flow of blood. Do NOT remove the dressing or cloth touching the
skin - simply add additional layers on top.
 Call for emergency help if the bleeding does not stop or there is a
lot of blood.

Be aware of the following complications:

 As you can see in the video, when a child is bleeding, you should
continually observe the injured infant or child and be ready to act
if they show signs that they’re going to faint. If the injured child
is not lying down, help them into a lying position. For an infant,
hold them in your lap and ensure you can keep continuous
pressure on the wound. However, if you suspect that they have
broken a limb or have received trauma to the head, neck or
spinal cord, do not move an injured child or infant.
 The immediate danger of heavy bleeding is shock. Signs of shock
in an infant or child can include paleness, cold and clammy skin,
confusion, difficulty breathing and in very extreme
circumstances, the child or infant could become unresponsive.
Call for medical help immediately if you see any of these signs.
 The child or infant may be crying from fear and/or pain. Help
them to calm down by reassuring them and explain what you’re
doing.

Stopping a nosebleed
 Have the child sit down and lean their head forward. Do NOT tilt their
head back - this causes them to swallow their blood. (Good job to all
those that got this right in the previous step).
 Pinch the infant or child’s nostrils together with your thumb and fingers
where the bone in their nose meets cartilage. Hold this position for as
long as it takes for the bleeding to stop, around ten minutes is usually
enough time, whilst telling them to breathe through their mouth.

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  As the video shows, if the bleeding is a result of a significant blow to
the face and/or the bleeding is heavy, you should seek medical help
whilst attempting to control the bleeding as described in this step.

Signs of a minor burn include red, hot and swollen skin that is not broken.
Assessing the situation and acting quickly to cool the burn, preferably
with cool water, will reduce the pain and swelling as well as reduce the risk
of scarring.

It is important that you do not cool the burn with very cold water or ice, as
the extreme cold could cause more damage.

If a child or infant is showing any of the following signs, you should seek
help:

 Burns are on the face, ears, hands, feet, limbs, genitals or joints;
 Burns are in the mouth or near the airway such as the neck or
chest;
 The burn is larger than the size of the child’s hand;
 If the burn is starting to blister. It is vital that you do not burst the
blister;
 If the burn has any fabric or material sticking to the burned area.
Again, is it very important that you do not try to remove any
foreign objects attached to the skin.

Signs that a wound may have become infected include:

 The area becomes red, and is showing signs of swelling

 The wound or abrasion is releasing pus
 The injured child or infant is generally unwell or has a high
temperature

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