Every parent worries about their child choking or needing CPR. I’m an ER nurse, so I go through all the training and I still think about it! All the detailed training is long and complicated, but there are some basic things every parent should know if you should ever need it. Hopefully you won’t!
The absolute lifesaving call: call 911. If life is endanger, call. That’s what medical professionals and ambulances are there for.
Basic CPR
You may have seen CPR on tv or had nightmares about it, but the tv is almost always totally innacurate and nightmares are unreliable. That said, CPR is a huge lifesaving skill!
Unfortunately, I can’t teach you CPR here, you need to be able to see it and practice it, so find a course near you and do it, you won’t regret it.
Check out the American Heart Association for courses near you! Many communities offer short courses that can quickly and easily show you how to save a life using CPR. And check out their video about Staying Alive for super basic CPR on teens and adults.
For most kids, the heart is generally healthy and it tends to be breathing issues that cause trouble. You probably already know how to watch baby’s chest rise and fall to see she’s breathing, if breathing ever totally stops, check to make sure she hasn’t choked on something, figure out what is causing the breathing issue and fix it!
Relieve Choking
If you think someone is choking and they are no longer breathing (at all, not even coughing), it’s time to help.
For babies, put baby stomach-down on your knees and thump the back, hard enough to loosen whatever is stuck. For older kids and adults, stand behind them, wrap your arms around them, put a fist just above their belly button and wrap your other hand around it. Pull inward and upward fast to help their lungs and muscles push it back out.
For either, if it doesn’t work and they pass out, lie them on the ground and start CPR compressions it will help push it loose. And call 911!
They’ll teach you this in your basic CPR class too. Find a course, enroll, learn it. You will never regret it.
Babies have a choking reflex, they will cough and sputter as they learn to eat and how far back food can get in their mouths. Don’t let it freak you out, just keep an eye on him to make sure he sputters it back out or swallows it down.
I’ve pinned, tweeted and shared this information. I think it is great info and vital for anyone who ever cares for a little one. Good job and thanks for being a nurse! 🙂
Oh that is something that I really want to learn more about. I always worry…even though Carter is getting older. Especially since we have a pool…I really need to learn. I am going to check into classes in my area! Thanks for giving me that needed push! 🙂
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Good reminder post! Its true- even if you do this all day long with your eyes closed at work, sometimes its just not the same when you’re at home with someone you know and love! Thanks!
Also it’s important to know a few survival skills- I’ve read a few stories on the internet of mothers finding themselves lost in the woods. Having a backpack filled with essential survival items ( including matches, a can stove and blanket, first aid kit) is also recommended.