It’s been said time and again that all adults should know how to correctly administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, but what about children? Most would assume that children aren’t strong or mature enough to perform CPR but this has been proven to be untrue time and again. There have been numerous recorded instances when very young children were able to save someone’s life through first aid or CPR. It’s actually a good idea to give children, even those as young as 5 or 6 years old, first aid training, especially since teaching CPR is as easy as teaching them the ABC’s. Plus, this will ensure that the skill is instilled in them and prepares them for different situations.
It should be clearly pointed out though that teaching children when and how to call 911 is an even more important thing to learn than how to administer CPR. Children should understand that calling 911 is the first thing they should do in case of an emergency. Here are other easy ways to teach children first aid and what to do during emergencies –
> Teach your children the basic way that the body’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems work. They should learn and understand that our internal organs need blood and that the heart pumps it throughout the body. This will help them understand why first aid and CPR are important.- > Tell your children to think of the ABCs when performing CPR. Teach them that A is for Airway. Remembering A for airway will hopefully remind children that the first step in doing CPR is to make that the airway is not blocked. You can have your children check their own mouths in a mirror. Let them open their mouths and look in the mirror so they can the opening at the back of the throat. This will teach them how air gets inside the lungs and it should be kept clear.
- > Teach them that B is for Breathing. The next step they have to do is to check if the person is breathing. If the person is not breathing, then they can help by doing CPR and helping the person breath by blowing air into the person’s mouth. Let your children feel your chest or observe how the body moves as it breathes.
- > Teach them that C stands for Circulation. If someone’s heart has stopped, they can help the blood circulate around the body by applying pressure or pushing on the person’s chest. Explain that they have to move or pump the person’s heart for him or her. You can let your children listen to your heartbeat so they’ll know what it would sound or how it would feel when the heart is beating.
- > Keep repeating the steps aloud until they remember. Let them practice CPR on you or a doll so they’ll remember or understand more clearly what to do.
Even though CPR is geared more towards older people, there are CPR courses that are designed for younger children. Some of these courses are part of St Mark James programs while others are conducted by your local government. Check out these institutions if you want your children and you to learn more about first aid and CPR.