8 Life- Saving Measures Every Parent Should Know

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2,000 children and teenagers die everyday as a result of an injury that could have been prevented.

Aside from kissing a boo boo away and putting a Band-Aid or placing a cold compress on a child’s forehead, what are some basic first aid skills and life- saving measures we should know?

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1.Infant and Child CPR

You don’ t necessary need to be a healthcare professional to learn life- saving skills and to make help those people around you. There are a lot of things that you CAN do to save a life by educating yourself through watching videos and reading printed materials to help you prepare for situations that will require you to save a life. American Heart Association and Red Cross provides CPR trainings all over the US and abroad. Learn infant/ child CPR HERE.

2. Keeping a First Aid Kit at home

Every household should have a first aid kit whether you have kids at home or not because you never know when accidents happen and being prepared is a big advantage to prevent further injury. Be ready for all possible emergencies at home or outdoors with this all-purpose and easy to carry first aid kit. Check this awesome First Aid Kit I found. It contains 299 pieces which includes but not limited to basic over-the counter medications, antibiotic ointments, insect sting pads, burn relief pack, tools and supplies, bandages and dressings.

You can also check out this 117 piece Kid- friendly First Aid kit for the whole family, which is neatly organized in compartments and easily accessible.

This kit is good to keep in the trunk of your car, glove box or your bag.

3. Control Bleeding

Bleeding can become life threatening if it becomes uncontrolled. From nose bleeding to lacerations, it is very vital to stop and control the bleeding as soon as possible. Apply direct pressure in the affected area using a clean cloth or gauze until the bleeding stops. Like I have mentioned, it is VERY imperative to have a first aid kit because you will need it in situations like this. While applying pressure, carefully wrap the wound dressing with elastic compression bandage and call for appropriate help depending on the severity of the bleeding. Elevate the affected area above the heart if possible to help slow down the bleeding.

PLEASE CALL 911 if:

Bleeding is severe
You suspect internal
There is an abdominal or chest wound
Bleeding can’t be stopped after 10 minutes of firm and steady pressure
Blood spurts out of wound

Click here for more information.

4. The Heimlich Maneuver

When you take that must- have CPR class, they would usually incorporate the Heimlich maneuver in the training. Please check this website for more detailed instructions

5. Allergic reactions

Allergic reactions can be triggered by a lot of things like food, insect stings, pets, topical products and a lot of other things. It’s very crucial for every parent to know the signs and symptoms of allergic reactions such as:

Itching
Skin redness
Teary/watery eyes
Sneezing
development of hives ( red elevated bumps on skin)
mild swelling
stuffy or runny nose.

Even for mild symptoms, always call your doctor/pediatrician and ask for advise. In my experience, the doctor will usually advice me to give my children oral anti-histamine such as Benadryl and it’s not usually required for me to bring them to the emergency room.

But if you believe that the symptoms are severe such as:

shortness of breath/ rapid breathing
wheezing
any signs of distress
abdominal pain
nausea/ vomiting
swelling of the mouth and tongue

Call your doctor or call 911

If your child has known allergy, inject Epinephrine as directed if available, and call 911 immediately! I cannot stress it enough that is a MUST to keep your First Aid Kit in handy.

Check this website for more info.

6. Poisoning

To prevent poisoning, keep hazardous materials out of children’ s reach. If you suspect poisoning, find out as much information about the toxic product as you can, call Poison Control Center 800-222-1222 (for United States) or find out the specific number for your state or 911 and give the details.

Every parent should have a list important numbers easily available in case of emergency.

7. Sprains

Injury such as sprain is very common in children since they are very active. Minor sprains can be treated mostly at home. Use the mnemonic RICE, which stands for REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, and ELEVATION.

PLEASE DON’T FORGET, WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS CALL THE DOCTOR!

8. Burns

For minor burns, place or immerse the affected area under cool water for at least 5 minutes, cover it with dry, non- adhesive dressing and give your child pain medication as directed. Remember that there’ s difference between cool and cold water. Do not apply ice pack as it may damage the skin. Yes, I did it before. Maybe I was asleep on my nursing class when we had this subject.

When we were on a camping trip, I used ice pack just because it was on our first aid kit and it was closer to me than the cool water. I was careful not to cause further damage so everything’ s fine.

For minor burns, you may also apply soothing topical creams and lotions such as Aloe Vera.

In addition to the 8 things listed above, there are a lot of things that every parent should know especially on how to respond to emergency situations. It’ s always good to educate ourselves about this subject and there’ s a lot of free ways how to get the training we need.

For example, Fever. It is very common for kids to have fever and knowing what to do will help alleviate the symptom. It’s always best to keep Tylenol in handy and make sure to have the Ibuprofen and Tylenol Dosing Printout available to you.

This is what our Family Pediatrician gave us and it’ s posted in our Kitchen Command Center Board. I would like to thank our doctor in Kaiser Permanente for giving us this very important tool.

I know you have a few life- saving tips in mind. Please share it with us in the comments below. Thanks for taking the time to read. x-o-x-o