It’s the fear of first aid that often prevents parents taking a first aid class and not always about lack of time. What happens if I try it and get it wrong, and even worse, make it worse! Here I’ll explore what’s holding you back and why you should try to overcome your fears for the sake of your little ones. You might just find you enjoy it.
It’s our love and commitment for our babies and children, triggered by precious early moments of adult-child dialogue, that has ensured the survival of the human species. All newly born babies are defenceless, exquisitely vulnerable, and depend critically on the care given to them by adults.
And we know this helplessness in babies and toddlers makes them more at risk of accidents and illnesses. Their immune systems are under-developed, they don’t see danger and they can’t tell us if something is wrong. Not to mention their proportionally larger heads that just seem to gravitate towards sharp corners!
Our society has changed over the years too with one parent often away from home, grandparents living further afield – all adding to the pressure on mums or dads to care for their families alone.
“ALL children at some point will require first aid in the home. Don’t wait for that emergency to happen. When your family needs emergency first aid, it becomes the most important skill you can have. ”
Each year on average, as a result of injuries in and around the home:-
- 370,000 attend A&E
- 40,000 are admitted to hospital
- 6% of deaths of children aged between 1 month – 4 yrs are in the home
Our little ones, especially those aged 0-4 years, are prone to injuries that can result in avoidable death with the largest number of emergency hospital admissions being caused by choking, falls from furniture, tap water scalds, burns from hot fluids and poisoning from medicines. Unsurprisingly, they happen mostly at HOME.
They are a major cause of ill health and serious disability that could, in many cases, have been treated earlier to avoid long-lasting psychological impact, scars, long-term educational, social and occupational consequences. A scald may require years of painful skin grafts and a fall at home can result in permanent brain damage. Both worsened by delayed action in treatment. In addition, injuries can also have a negative effect on the psychological health and wellbeing of parents caring for those children.
That said, it’s taken me 7 years to join in a children’s first aid class to really understand how to recognise and treat common injuries like falls, burns or choking.
So why is that? What stopped me? I love my child and want to protect her don’t I?
It’s almost certainly the fear of getting it wrong. The responsibility. The fear of making it worse and hurting them, especially when it comes to CPR. And then, of course, it’ll never happen to me!
But when you step into a classroom, just remember, you’re all in it together. We’re not experts; nurses or doctors, but as parents and grandparents, we’re the first at the scene at home and need to react quickly when faced with a gushing wound or a bumped head. And we know that if an injury is treated quickly, the long term effects will be lessened or could save our child’s precious life.
Taught by a brilliant first aid teacher, I’ve learnt so much. Feel empowered even! Not only do I now know what to do, the latest skills such as giving CPR, but also how to avoid accidents in the first place and look out for signs and symptoms that my child is poorly. There are some things that are tattooed on my brain forever and I know I’ll remember how to use them when it counts. I’ve also learned that it’s impossible to make the situation worse.
“It’s definitely better to do SOMETHING than nothing at all.”
So, what’s stopping you?
Anyone can teach first aid with the right qualifications, but being taught by a paediatric trained nurse with experience working in an A&E or children’s ward means you’ll learn more than just the basic techniques. Your confidence will grow in understanding about specific childhood conditions like asthma, epilepsy, allergies and meningitis too and how to recognise the signs and symptoms early on so you know what to do to help quickly.
Or Child Matters nurses can come to your own home for £25 per person for a minimum of 6 people and the host gets a FREE first aid kit! Includes certificate, first aid manual and hand outs to keep. For groups of 10 or more its £20 per person.
Written by Natalie Walker
Sources:
Official of National Statistics: hospital admissions data for 2012/13 to 2016/17 and deaths data for 2012 to 2016
Public Health England: Unintentional Injuries Report 2018
British Medical Association (BMA): Growing up in the UK 2013
