First Aid For Children

Following on from my post about Why All Parents Should Learn First Aid and the comments I received about peoples want/need and knowledge (or lack of) first aid skills I have pulled together some resources to try and help you learn some basic first aid for children.

First Aid for children starts with keeping calm, both as a parent/adult and for the child. Being ill or hurt can be terrifying for small children so keeping them calm can be vital in preventing situations from getting worse. So even if you are terrified put a brave face on and take a deep breath!

The second thing is to keep a well stocked first aid kit in your home and car.

First Aid for Children – What To Have In Your First Aid Kit

A basic first aid kit should contain:

• Plasters, in a variety of different sizes and shapes.
• Small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings.
• At least two sterile eye dressings.
• Triangular bandages.
• Crêpe rolled bandages.
• Safety pins.
• Disposable sterile gloves.
• Tweezers.
• Scissors.
• Alcohol-free cleansing wipes.
• Sticky tape.
• Cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings.
• Antiseptic cream.
• Distilled water, for cleaning wounds and as an eye bath.

Please bear in mind that I cannot cover everything in this post but hopefully will give you some points to start with in case you can’t find/attend a first aid course! I’ll start with bleeding as this is an area of first aid for children that will probably crop up for all parents in all some form!

First Aid for Children – Treating Minor Cuts, Scratches and Grazes

• Cover any cuts on your own hands and put on disposable gloves if required
• Clean the cut, if dirty, under running water. Pat dry with a sterile dressing or clean lint-free material.
• Cover the cut temporarily while you clean the surrounding skin with soap and water, and pat the surrounding skin dry.
• Make sure the cut is covered completely by a plaster or sterile dressing.

First Aid for Children – Treating Severe Bleeding

• Wear disposable gloves
• Apply pressure directly to the wound with a pad, such as a clean towel or cloth. If this is not readily available, use your fingers until a sterile dressing has been found.
• Raise and support the injured limb. Take particular care if you suspect a Bone Has Been Broken.
• Lay the child down to treat for shock.
• Put a bandage or dressing firmly over the wound to control the bleeding, but ensure that it is not too tight as this can stop the circulation to fingers or toes. If bleeding begins to show through the bandage, put a second bandage over it. If bleeding continues to seep through this bandage, it is best to remove the whole thing and reapply it.
• Treat the person for shock
• Call for an ambulance by dialling 999.

Moving on to burns:

First Aid for Children  - Minor Burns

For minor burns, run cold water over the affected area for a minimum of 10 minutes or until the pain eases. Remove any jewellery etc. and cover the burn as detailed above.

If a minor burn is larger than a postage stamp, it requires medical attention. All deep burns of any size require urgent hospital treatment.

First Aid for Children  - Severe Burns

• Start cooling the burn immediately under running water for at least 10 minutes.
• Dial 999 for an ambulance.
• Make the casualty as comfortable as possible, lie them down.
• Continue to pour copious amounts of cold water over the burn for at least 10 minutes or until the pain is relieved.
• You should remove all jewellery or clothing from the affected area, unless it is sticking to the skin. However, ensure that you are wearing disposable gloves before doing this.
• Put a clean, non-fluffy material over the burn to protect from infection. Cloth, a clean plastic bag or cling film all make good dressings.
• Treat for shock

ON ALL BURNS DO NOT:

• Use creams, lotions or ointments
• Use adhesive dressings
• Break blisters

Just some basic first aid for children, this information is not intended to replace first aid training but I thought it might be of use. You can also download some useful information sheets

All information comes from St Johns Ambulance and NHS Direct