Saving little lives: why you should know first aid

When my youngest child was ready to transition to a full solid diet, you’d think I’d be a little bit relaxed, him being the third kid and all. I’m not sure whether it was because he was premature or just because I know a bit more about the dangers lurking, but for some reason, this kid made me the most stressed.

I insisted on trying a peanut butter sandwich when someone else was in the house with me. And then I started questioning… do I know what to do if he starts to show a reaction? What if he chokes? Will I recognise the difference between gagging (a normal reflex that they need to learn) and choking?

I don’t know why I was so worried – there was no reaction and hasn’t been one since. And Bamba is his absolute favourite snack so that definitely helps keep the nut allergen at bay.

Fun fact: Israel has a significantly lower prevalence of peanut allergies because of the simple fact that kids are exposed to Bamba from such an early age.

But I know not everyone is so fortunate. Which is why it’s crucial that every parent, carer and parental figure knows both baby and child first aid.

Between my three boys, I’ve had my fair share of scares. We’ve had multiple trips to the emergency room with RSV and gastro, two broken arms and a split forehead that resulted in an epic meltdown and four stitches. And I believe the only reason I remained semi-calm during these times is because I had done a first aid course prior to having my kids.

Of course, I was also learning as I went along. I know now, for example, that a concaved chest while breathing means the lungs are struggling to get air. I learnt that when we took my eldest to the hospital for RSV at five weeks old.

I also know how to prepare myself for a hospital trip, mainly because for that initial visit, we packed a couple of bottles to get our son through the night but absolutely nothing for me to stay with him.

And, I’m definitely not alone when it comes to children and their illnesses and injuries.

Rebecca Ehrlich told The AJN that choking was always a big fear of hers, so she did plenty of research before starting her twin daughters on solids. But, due to her experience, it’s no longer a fear because she knows that she will remain calm in the situation.

“At first she was coughing and then she aspirated something into her lung,” Ehrlich recalled about her daughter. “She was starting to go for her neck and her face, and I started to see her colour draining.”

Ehrlich recalls doing first aid training at school but hasn’t done any formal training since. She does, however, follow Tiny Hearts Education on Instagram and she said instinct immediately kicked in. “I turned her over onto my knee facing downwards and I delivered five back blows. It was on the third or fourth back blow that whatever she had eaten was dislodged. But even after dislodging it, she still didn’t have her full colour returning. We ended up calling the ambulance, going to the hospital, going through the process of X rays, making sure everything was clear, and thank G-d everything was fine.”

Ehrlich emphasised that choking is silent and that’s perhaps what frightened her the most. “If you’re not watching, you just don’t know, and that really resonated with me,” she said, explaining that the kids were not eating high-choking risk food, she was eating alongside them, and they were in highchairs. “It just goes to show that it could literally happen to anyone, and you’ve got to do something about it. You just have to jump in and essentially save your child’s life.”

Heidi Grevler experienced something no parent ever wants to, yet something that is unfortunately quite common in Australia – a near drowning. Despite six adults sitting around the swimming pool, it only took a couple of minutes to lose sight of Grevler’s six-year-old son. Grevler said she and her husband hadn’t done a first aid course, but they had witnessed a drowning on the beach a few weeks prior.

“Instinct for us kicked in immediately,” she told The AJN.

Her son’s arm was stuck in the wall pool filter and the adults struggled to free him. Grevler explained that it took the ambulance eight minutes to arrive, during which her husband and a friend conducted CPR. “By the time the ambulance came, they had revived him, and he was screaming in pain.”

Upon arrival at the hospital, her son was placed in an induced coma to prevent water damage to his lungs, his arm had tissue damage from being stuck in the filter and the family didn’t know whether there was any brain activity.

“He is an absolute miracle,” Grevler said. “Video footage showed he had been under water for three minutes.”

Grevler’s advice to parents and carers – absolutely do a first aid course.

Jesse Lenn from Sydney’s Community Health Support said while the fundamental principles for first aid in babies, children and adults are the same, there are some specific changes to techniques.

It’s important to know how to properly administer first aid according to the age of your child, which is why it’s recommended to refresh your skills every 12 months for CPR and every three years for general first aid.

Lenn said the biggest piece of advice for carers is to stay as calm as possible, although he knows that’s tricky to do.

“Probably the hardest thing to do when facing a first aid situation, especially when it is someone that you know and care about, is to stay as calm as possible. It is a natural response for our mind and body to get worked up during these scary times. However, it is well-known and researched that remaining as calm as possible can enhance your ability to fall back on your training and provide effective first aid,” he told The AJN. “Take an extra second to try and calm your nerves.”

But he also said it’s completely normal to feel panicked.

“Unless you are working in the first aid or medical space and dealing with first aid emergencies regularly, it is unlikely that you are mentally prepared for this,” he reassures, explaining that if you remain calm, it helps the child stay calm too.

“Some of the techniques we teach at our first aid courses are to take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, force yourself to pause and scan the situation visually first before assisting, and to say out loud what you are seeing and what actions you are taking.”

Lenn explained that they are often called to young children who are having difficulty breathing, in particular issues like croup, asthma, choking and anaphylaxis. He explained that sometimes it can be difficult to know what is causing the symptoms so while someone administers first aid, it’s critical to call for help.

“Dealing with first aid and medical situations in the community can be daunting. You should know that it is unlikely that the first aid that you provide will be perfect. However, in most cases doing something is better than nothing; even if it is as simple as calling for help,” he said.

Ultimately, as parents and carers, we all need to remember that accidents and illnesses happen. But it’s always best to be as prepared as we can be.

Just don’t forget to pack the bag for yourself too.