First Aid Every New Parent Should Know

As a new parent, you've got safety on the brain. You've probably eliminated most threats from your home, installed your carseat properly, and you're probably careful to put your baby to bed without a blanket. However, you should also bush up on your ability to respond to emergency situations with First Aid and CPR training just in case your child needs help and you are the only person who can provide it.

What To Do If Your Child Is Choking

Gagging on food is normal as your child learns to swallow solid foods. However, you should know when it is important to intervene for safety's sake. You child can still capable of clearing their own airway if they are coughing or gagging. These are the body's natural defenses against choking, and the most effective methods for clearing out an obstruction.

However, if your child is not coughing, seems unable to to make a sound, and begins to exhibit signs of silent panic, you should react immediately to perform the Heimlich maneuver for infants. Unlike adults, children need to be handled more tenderly in choking situations, in order to avoid injuring them further. Start by calling 911.

Then, proceed by laying the child over your arm with the head in your hand. Firmly push the diaphragm twice, and then flip the child over and administer thumps on the back. Repeat this motion until the object is dislodged from the airway. 

What To Do If Your Child In Unresponsive

After an accident, in order to preserve the life of an unresponsive. In fact, you may need to perform CPR. In fact, experts believe that up to 200 000 adults and children could be saved each year is CPR is administered in a timely manner. If your baby is not responding to speech and touch, make sure that emergency help is called right away.

Take the infant to a flat surface and make sure the airway is clear. It's also important to make sure that there are no serious wounds. Bleeding can be made worse by resuscitation efforts. Stem bleeding before moving forward.

If there is no pulse or the child is not breathing, you can begin mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing. On infants, this is done by covering the nose and mouth with your mouth and breathing out into the baby's lungs. Watch to see the chest rise, pause to let the air exhale, and then do a second breath. 

Once you have provided oxygen, you must provide the heartbeat. On adults, you use two hands for chest compressions. On infants, you use two fingers in the center of the chest. Quickly do thirty compressions with your fingers, and then provide more breaths. Continue this cycle until emergency response teams arrive. 

What To Do If Your Child Has A Fever 

Fever is the body's natural way of fighting infection. However, a very high fever can be a problem for very young babies, because their bodies are not yet able to regulate temperature properly. If you notice that your baby is lethargic, that their body feels abnormally warm, or that they have little to no interest in eating, you should take a temperature in order to make sure that the fever is within an acceptable range.

A temperature at or below 100.3 Fahrenheit should not worry you. Your baby should be fine with rest and nourishment.

However, if your child is younger than 3 months old and has a temperature higher than this range, you should seek medical care. The reason for this kind of response is because some infections that cause fevers must be caught and treated early in infants. Also, high fevers in very young children can cause seizures and nerve damage. 

In order to manage a fever at home, you should make sure that your baby is getting enough to drink. For children younger than six months, breastmilk or formula should be encouraged. Water is good for older babies, along with breastmilk, formula, and solid foods. Signs of dehydration include lethargy and few wet diapers. If you notice dehydration, seek medical help immediately. 

Share