Babies are vulnerable to accidents and emergencies, and parents and caregivers need to know what steps to take should an incident arise. Infant CPR and first aid training will provide you with skills necessary to help save their lives in such cases.
If your baby or child is choking, place them in the recovery position on their side with their head tilted down and carefully observe for breathing and any reactions before calling for assistance.
Choking
Choking is a serious condition in which an object, such as food, toys or buttons becomes lodged in one’s throat or windpipe (airway). Without oxygen reaching its destination (the lungs), brain tissue damage may occur within 4-6 minutes.
Usually a person can cough and breathe themselves out of a blockage; if that fails, chest thrusts or back blows may help dislodge an object that’s been lodged within your trachea. Call for medical help immediately as choking can be fatal and lead to loss of consciousness.
The Heimlich maneuver can be used on adults and children of any age; however, infants should not undergo it due to possible damage caused by this method. The process involves wrapping your arms around someone choking and making fists with both hands; clasping one fist into another in between their ribcage and belly button before thrusting your fists deep into their abdomen until their airway opens again.
Babies’ airways are as narrow as drinking straws, making them particularly vulnerable to choking. To determine whether your child is experiencing difficulty, conduct a quick assessment. See if they can make significant noises and cough effectively.
If your infant cannot cry or cough, they may be choking on something and need assistance from you immediately. Start chest compressions immediately or perform 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts in rapid succession in order to dislodge any obstruction from their throat or windpipe and push out anything that may be in it.
Treat them until assistance arrives, the object has been extracted or they pass out. If they pass out, roll them on their side so that any fluids such as saliva or vomit don’t enter their lungs and cause serious health concerns.
Those trained in CPR and first aid should be able to manage this situation on their own or with help from another adult. In an emergency situation, asking someone nearby to call emergency services might save your loved one’s life.
Burns
Burns are injuries that cause damage to the uppermost layer of skin known as the epidermis. This layer contains cells responsible for producing pigment and nerve endings which transmit pain signals; additionally it holds together its structure using collagen proteins.
Burned skin’s protective barrier becomes vulnerable, leaving the injured area vulnerable to bacteria and other foreign invaders that may lead to infections and compromise immunity, making it harder for our bodies to combat other threats. This compromise of immunity reduces its capacity for self-defense.
If you suspect your child has experienced first-degree burns, immediately take steps to ensure her safety by removing her from the source and applying a sterile gauze pad or bandage over it – using adhesive bandages can pose a choking hazard if used on young children.
Your baby may experience minor burns that will heal within three to six days without blisters or scars forming on her skin, leaving her red, swollen, and possibly experiencing minor pain or discomfort.
However, you should keep in mind that burns may result in long-term complications for both children and their parents, such as infection, joint problems and disfigurement (scarring). Third-degree burns affecting more than 10 percent of their bodies should be considered the most severe kind.
Severe burns can be life-threatening for your child and have lasting impacts that include loss of limbs, disfigurement, damaged immunity system and emotional effects that affect her wellbeing.
Within the first 24 hours of treatment, you should work to reduce the temperature of your baby’s burn by applying cool water or ice cubes. Once that has been accomplished, wait until medical assistance arrives before proceeding further with any treatments or measures.
As soon as a burn is clean and dry, healing should occur more rapidly. After 48 hours if it still causes pain or looks infected, see your physician immediately.
Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics and other medications to alleviate her discomfort and inflammation, and may also suggest therapeutic touch based on the belief that mind and body form a complex energy field which can be assisted with gentle touch therapy.
Fever
Fever is one of the most frequently reported symptoms among newborns, yet rarely serves as a major source of illness; nonetheless, fever could be a symptom that requires immediate medical intervention and needs to be managed effectively.
If your child has a fever, the first step should be taking their temperature with an accurate thermometer. They’re easy to use and can help measure temperatures on forehead, ear or rectal surfaces – typically newborn forehead temperatures range between 96.8-100.4F.
Rectal thermometers provide more accurate readings than thermometers that measure skin or ear temperatures. An ideal rectal thermometer should read between 99-102 degrees.
Parents sometimes use thermometers that read from an infant’s armpit as a measure of their temperature; however, this tends to provide lower and less accurate readings than using one placed directly under their rectum as underarm temperatures are more affected by body heat than their core temperature and therefore do not necessarily indicate whether your infant has fever.
Your child’s behavior and other signs and symptoms can provide more of an indication than just temperature alone, so keep an eye out for excessive fatigue, reduced appetite and excessive spitting up. If any of these occur in your infant it’s crucial that he or she visit a physician immediately for diagnosis and treatment.
Newborns are at particular risk for fevers, although other children of any age can also develop them. Fever can often accompany infections that require medical intervention – like colds or influenza- or bacterial infections that need treating like ear infections.
If your baby’s fever does not respond to over-the-counter remedies or medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for older infants (3 months+), consulting your physician is recommended.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines state that newborns who do not exhibit other signs of illness should have their temperatures checked by healthcare professionals in order to avoid overtreating a fever in young infants.
Wounds
Most children will experience cuts and scrapes at some point, but some injuries require medical treatment to ensure a speedy recovery – open wounds may require stitches while other injuries could require medical intervention to heal properly.
Wounds refer to any place on the body where skin has been broken or torn, including surgical incisions (cuts), tube placement sites and any part that has been punctured or torn.
Most wounds heal on their own without treatment; all that’s necessary to ensure a speedy healing is keeping the area clean, so germs don’t gain entry and cause an infection.
Care for an open wound begins by soaking it in warm water and applying a cold compress to reduce redness and swelling.
If the wound appears unclean, your child’s doctor may suggest using an antibiotic ointment to cover it. Make sure to secure it with non-stick bandages for best results and change it out daily if necessary.
Add a moistened, sterile gauze pad to help the area heal more effectively while decreasing its susceptibility to contamination by dirt or moisture. This will make sure it heals more efficiently while protecting it from further infection or contamination.
Your child’s doctor may instruct you to monitor his or her skin and wounds until they heal completely, reporting any fever-related signs, such as feverishness or redness of any sort immediately.
Bruises are another frequent problem among babies. These bruises occur when small blood vessels burst and release fluid under the skin, often after an accident or fall, and range in color from subtle purple-blue to greenish-yellow, eventually becoming less visible as time progresses.
Your baby’s doctor will decide whether or not to stitch his or her wound, following any instructions on the back of its dressing. Alternatively, skin glue may also provide quick and easy care that won’t harm their delicate skin.