Hey Sweeties,
Ahead of the birth of my first baby in March, my husband and I attended the Baby & Child First Aid course run by the British Red Cross*.
I initially attended a short taster session of the Baby & Child First Aid Course at the Baby Show last November which is what encouraged me to pursue attending a full day’s course. There is nothing more frightening than your child(ren) being in an emergency situation and as a parent it’s our responsibility to know what to do.
Crucially, it’s important to understand that there are lots of ways you can get help in a first aid situation (including 111, your pharmacist, GP, or 999 in an emergency) and that you should trust your instincts.
The four-hour Baby & Child First Aid course covered the following first aid skills:
- Unresponsive and breathing baby & child
- Unresponsive and not breathing baby & child
- Nose bleeds
- Heavy bleeding
- Choking
- Burns
- Meningitis
- Fever and febrile seizure
- Seizure (epilepsy)
- Swallowed something harmful
- Severe Allergic Reaction
- Asthma
- Head Injury
- Broken bones
- Sprain or strain
Introductions
Before the course commenced, the course leader wanted to understand what our individual reasons were for attending, what were our key concerns, and if we had any prior experience with first aid.
I have done (adult) first aid courses several times in previous years through my work, but I wanted to be clued up about what to do in the event of an emergency with a baby and/or child. A key concern throughout the group was choking.
Before we began learning about the various first aid scenarios, we were given a quick task which involved splitting into two groups and assessing two different photographs showing scenarios involving a child. We had to determine what we thought had happened and an appropriate course of action.
This was a useful task as it highlighted how differently people can view and respond to an emergency, and also if something is as serious as it seems on first look, demonstrating the need to properly assess a scene before reacting.
Learning Baby & Child First Aid Skills
Through a process of explanation, discussion, demonstrations with dummies, and video, we had a chance to understand how certain emergencies happen, what we can do to aid prevention which is particularly prevalent when it comes to babies and children, and how to react and treat accordingly.
The British Red Cross Free App
One of the things we have to be thankful of is the availability of information at our fingertips, and the British Red Cross have a free app for this very purpose.
The app features videos and step-by-step instructions for what to do in an emergency from allergies, heavy bleeding, and choking, to Meningitis and strokes; it’s a really concise resource. There’s even the option to test your knowledge and gain in-app badges as you pass each section.
Summary
The Baby & Child First Aid Course lasted four hours (with a 30-minute lunch break) and I think this was just right, not so long you’re getting bored, and not so short you don’t get the chance to properly go through everything.
Sometimes with these types of courses people can be put off with having to demonstrate their learning in front of the course leader and the rest of the group, but this wasn’t the case. We were encouraged to have a go but it wasn’t mandatory, and you didn’t have the attention of the whole group if you did want to practice performing anything learnt. For example, how to help someone who is choking or unresponsive and breathing. Because of this, I actually think everyone took the opportunity to practice.
Speaking from my own existing experience, and listening to some of the other attendees on the course who also had some previous experience of (adult) first aid, confidence and the lack of it is the problem, not the knowledge. Fortunately, many people who participate in first aid courses never have to use their new skills, but because of this over time the confidence to react correctly in an emergency disappears.
After attending the Baby & Child First Aid Course with the British Red Cross I certainly feel more confident in knowing what to do in an emergency, but I need to make a commitment to revising baby and child first aid every few weeks/months to ensure my knowledge stays fresh and up-to-date. This is how the app will really help me, but you can also check out the website here.
You can find out more about the first aid courses run by the British Red Cross, and how to book, here.
Until next time x
*I was very kindly gifted attendance on the Baby & Child First Aid Course in exchange for a review. All opinions are honest and my own.
