We try our best to protect infants from getting hurt and there’s a great range of baby safety products on the market to help but occasionally accidents do happen. When harm does come to your little one, a first aid kit is essential whether in the home or travelling. Remember: it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

First aid for babies and toddlers

There’s an array of emergency situations you could find yourself in with a baby or toddler covering both illness and injury. Most of the time you’ll be faced with a few cuts and grazes or a slight fever but more serious events such as choking, ingesting poisonous substances and head injuries can occur. We recommend you sign up to a first aid course specifically designed for treating infants so you’ll be armed with the skills and training needed in an emergency.

Choking
If a baby or toddler suddenly struggles to breathe, cough, cry or speak their airway could have become blocked making breathing or coughing difficult. Small items or bits of food can become stuck causing an obstruction in the airway which leads to choking. A choke tester simulates the dimensions of child’s throat (three years and under) so you can see the size of an item or piece of food that will potentially cause an obstruction.

Test any playthings, toys or food through the cylinder of the tester to see if they’ll fit. If the toy is too large to fit then it’s okay; if it goes through avoid giving it to your child. For food items, make sure they’ve been cut to a size which will easily pass through the tester.

BabyDan Choke Tester

Should you find a baby or toddler choking then knowing how to clear the airway quickly (and if necessary resuscitate them afterwards) could make the difference in saving their life. If you find a baby is choking but still coughing allow them to do so. The coughing reflex is the best way to clear a blocked airway. If they’re not coughing but still choking you’ll need to help them.

1. Back Blows – Turn the baby over so they’re lying face down along your forearm. Make sure their head is lower than their body and the back and neck are supported. Using the heel of your hand, strike up to five firm blows to the back. Check the baby’s mouth and look for any obvious obstructions you can remove but don’t run your finger around the inside of the mouth as this can push the obstruction further down the throat.

2. Chest Thrusts – If the baby is still unable to breathe turn them over on to their back. Use two fingertips and push inwards and upwards against the breastbone (this will be a finger’s width below the line of the nipples) and toward the head. Perform this thrust once to try and dislodge the obstruction and then check the baby’s mouth for the object. If you don’t succeed try up to five times.

3. Repeat then call for help - Repeat the cycle of back blows and chest thrusts three times. If the obstruction still doesn’t clear call 999 for an ambulance and continue the cycle until help arrives.

Resuscitation

If a baby has stopped breathing first check to see if there’s an obstruction in the airway and carry out the process above. If they’re still unresponsive then you’ll need to carry out CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation).

Rescue Breaths

1. Check the airway is clear.
2. Place and close your lips around the baby’s mouth and nose.
3. Fill your cheeks with air and gently blow into the lungs. Watch their chest as you breathe in and when it inflates stop blowing.
4. Repeat this process 5 times.

Chest Compressions

1. Find a flat, firm surface and place your baby on their back.
2. Locate the centre position of the chest.
3. Using two fingertips, press down firmly a third of the depth of the chest.
4. Repeat 30 times at a rate of 100 compression per minute (within 18 seconds).
5. After 30 compression use two rescue breaths (as above).
6. Continue these steps until help arrives.

Please note this advice is a guide to helping your baby in an emergency. Become competent in choking and resuscitation techniques on a baby by enrolling in an accredited first-aid course.

First aid kits for babies and toddlers

You should have a first aid kit available in your home (and in the car) for emergency treatment of illness and injuries.

A decent first-aid kit should have a guidance pamphlet inside with basic instructions for administering first-aid procedures to burns, bleeds and fractures etc. Make sure the kit includes a thermometer and add in an infant liquid pain reliever plus an oral syringe or calibrated spoon for administering medicines.

Multi Purpose First Aid Kit

When on holiday or travelling, buy a compact first-aid kit which will contain all the basic materials for an emergency plus a clean-up kit for disposal of bodily liquids such as blood, vomit or urine.

Wallace Cameron Holiday First Aid Kit