It’s more than 7 years ago now, but those frightening frantic thoughts, I remember like they were yesterday. It was the last time my daughter was going to be at a preschool group before starting school that September, and we were all saying good-bye. She, and a very good friend decided to hug each other, as they said farewell. Unfortunately they both decided to do this whilst standing on a fairly high bench. One, or both of them, lost their footing and they fell to the floor, the other girl fell on top of Nia, so she received quite a blow to her head. We rushed to them and as I held Nia in my arms, she slipped (I think) momentarily unconscious. There was a fully trained first aider at the hall we were in, who offered me advice and reassurances on what the best course of action was. I knew my husband was only a minute away, so he rushed to take us to the hospital. Nia was monitored in hospital for some time. The care we received was amazing, and luckily there have never been any long-term effects on her.
Looking back she had all of the classic signs of concussion, and this did last for some weeks after the accident. However, what would I have done if that First Aider hadn’t been there, hadn’t asked me correct questions to ascertain the seriousness of the situation? What if I hadn’t gotten her to the hospital for her to be monitored and just taken her straight home?
Today I downloaded the British Red Cross Baby and Child First Aid App (available on the google play and apple store) and have spent the afternoon reading, and watching videos, learning more about how I should deal with situations like head injuries, allergic reactions and burns. That day 7 years ago, the only thing in my mind was that even though Nia looked Ok, I really didn’t know what was happening to her internally. She was pale but at that point hadn’t been sick. If I’d had the app I would have known to apply something cold (like a bag of frozen veg) to the injury, to try to reduce any swelling, as well as to ask her questions about how she was feeling. The app clearly describes the key signs to look out for, that mean you should call an ambulance immediately. It describes in picture and word form, how to put a child into the recovery position, to make breathing easier, that things like painkillers are not advised in this kind of situation. All things that I could have easily accessed that day.
I sat and thought about how imperative it is for all parents to have first aid as a life skill. I mean why wouldn’t you? You can do this simply by popping your postcode onto the widget on the British Red Cross site, and it will tell you all of the local venues and times, you can then book and pay for them online. Something I am going to do right now. They are suitable for people 16 years and over, and are designed to teach you a range of first aid skills to cope with emergency situations for babies and children from 0 to 12.
It really is a simple thing to commit to, and can literally save a life. You baby or child’s life. It is so important to refresh those skills and keep them paramount in my mind.
Get your free baby & child first aid app now and book a First Aid Course with the British Red Cross.
BRC Twitter – @britishredcross//BRC Facebook – British Red Cross
Here is the Video for the current campaign :
https://youtu.be/E5gJQMsUBk0
This sounds so useful!
I think that all parents should have to take a first aid course as standard. This app hopefully make sure that more people are informed as to how to help in an emergency.
I agree with Sarah. I think First Aid skills are so important, everyone should know them. A compulsory course for parents to be would be a good start as fresh-ups once your kids get older x
So important to take a first aid course with child specificaton information when you are a parent I think and this app sounds very good. Mich x
This is such a great app, isn’t it? Really helpful!