Accidents are one of the most frequent causes of infant mortality. The Spanish Association of Aquatic Lifeguard Technicians estimates that 32 minors drowned in Spain alone in 2017. Likewise, a recent study by researchers at the University of Alabama has revealed that 28 out of every 1,000 children die from suffocation each year in the United States alone, the third most common cause of death in children under 5 years of age. However, many of these deaths could have been prevented by resorting to first aid maneuvers.
For this reason, the Spanish Society of Pediatrics and the National Red Cross highlight the importance of parents learning some basic resuscitation and first aid techniques to save their babies’ lives in case of emergency. Next, we explain step by step three very simple and effective first aid techniques that you can put into practice in various dangerous situations.
3 basic first aid maneuvers to apply in an emergency
The first few minutes after an accident can mean the difference between life and death for a baby. In any case, the first thing you should do is assess the child’s condition, check if he is conscious and if he is breathing, and then call the emergency medical team. However, as the health professionals arrive, you can put into practice some maneuvers so as not to waste a single second.
- First aid for suffocation from choking
- Check the baby’s mouth to remove any visible remains of food or objects.
- Flip the baby over onto his stomach, sit down, and prop him up on his forearm on top of your legs.
- In this position, give him five intermittent thumps to the middle of his back.
- Immediately rotate him again and look for a compression point in the mid-thorax, located roughly on the imaginary line just below his nipples.
- Place two or three fingers on the compression point and press down on the baby’s chest until it compresses a few inches. Then let it return to its normal position and repeat the process another 4 times.
- Repeat the procedure, over and over again, until the choking object is expelled or the emergency medical team arrives.
- In any case, you go with the baby later to the hospital for a thorough check-up.
- First aid in case of cardiopulmonary arrest or drowning
- Lay the baby on his back on a flat surface.
- Put your mouth over the baby’s mouth and nose and breathe out gently until you feel his chest fill up. Repeat the procedure another 4 times. Wait a few seconds and give it another 5 breaths.
- Place one hand on the baby’s forehead and two or three fingers of the other hand on the imaginary line just below the nipples.
- Compress until your chest drops a few inches and then let it return to its normal position. Avoid making too sudden compressions. Repeat the process another 29 times.
- In the event of drowning, you can simplify the maneuver by interspersing 5 ventilations with 5 chest compressions.
- He repeats the procedure, over and over, until he is revived or the emergency medical team arrives.
- First aid in case of epileptic seizure
- Remove all objects around him that could cause him harm.
- Place your baby on his side so that he can breathe more easily, and place something soft under his head to prevent bumping.
- If your clothes are too tight, unzip them so you can breathe easier and have more freedom of movement.
- Don’t try to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or put something between his teeth.
- Take the time the seizure lasts and if it takes more than 5 minutes, call emergency medical services immediately.
- In any case, he goes to the hospital after stabilizing the baby to assess the possible damage.
