CHILDREN’S FIRST AID ADVICE FROM ST JOHN AMBULANCE

It’s no surprise that statistics show that a high proportion of children’s accidents happen during the school holidays and at weekends. With this in mind, St John Ambulance have just launched their new children’s first aid kit. They kindly sent one over for us to review as well as one to give away. You can find out how to enter the giveaway by scrolling to the bottom of this post.

This kit contains everything us parents need to ensure that we are able to give quick treatment for any minor mishaps that summer activities might bring. It has come in super handy for us with our accident prone children! Evie in particular is always falling over, so plasters for her many grazes are an essential for us wherever we go.

What’s included…

• 20 x washproof plasters (assorted sizes)
• 2 x small dressings
• 2 x medium dressings
• 1 x instant ice pack
• 4  x sterile cleansing wipes
• 2 x nitrile powder-free gloves (large)
• 1 x medium sterile adhesive dressing pad
• 2 x large sterile adhesive dressing pads
• 2 x eye wash phials
• 1 x 60ml hand sanitiser
• 6 x safety pins
• 1 x thermometer
• 2 x vomit bags (great to keep in the car for travel sick little ones like mine!)
• 5 x non-woven swabs
• 2 x eye pad dressings
• 2 x triangle bandages
• 1 x microporous tape

The kit also includes a handy first aid booklet which contains advice on how to deal with a range of different accidents and illnesses.

Also included is six bravery stickers which are a really great way to help little ones cope with an injury.

St John Ambulance have provided some useful first aid tips to help keep your little ones safe when out and about this summer…

Sunburn

What to look for: 

• Reddened skin
• Pain in the area of the burn
• Later, blistering may appear.

How to treat sunburn

1. Cover the skin with light clothing and move out of the sun
2. Drink sips of water
3. Cool the skin by sponging with cold water
4. Apply calamine or after-sun lotion to mild sunburn

• If there are blisters, seek medical advice.

Asthma attack

What to look for:

• Difficulty breathing
• Wheezing and coughing
• Distressed and anxious
• Difficulty speaking, shown through short sentences and whispering
• Signs of hypoxia such as grey-blue tinge to the lips, earlobes and nailbeds
• In a severe attack – exhaustion.

How to treat an asthma attack

1. Reassure them, help them to use their reliever inhaler
   • If no inhaler call 999/112
2. Ask them to breathe slowly and deeply
3. Sit them down
4. If the attack does not ease, advise one to two puffs every two minutes for up to 10 puffs
5. If they still don’t improve call 999 or 112
   • Monitor breathing and level of response
   • If unresponsive, prepare to give CPR

Choking (child)

What to look for

1. Difficulty breathing, speaking or coughing
2. A red puffy face
3. Signs of distress and they may point to their throat or grasp their neck.

What to do if a child is choking

1. Cough it out

• Encourage the child to keep coughing

1. Slap it out

• Give 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades
• Check their mouth each time

1. Squeeze it out

• Give 5 abdominal thrusts
• Check their mouth each time

1. Call 999/112 for emergency help

• Repeat steps 2 and 3 until help arrives.

Cuts and grazes

How to treat cuts and grazes

1. If the wound is dirty, clean the wound with cold running water or alcohol-free wipes
2. Pat it dry
3. Raise and support the injury
4. Apply a sterile adhesive dressing.

Fractures 

What to look for:

• Deformity, swelling and bruising around the fracture
• Pain and/or difficulty moving the area
• A limb may look shorter, twisted or bent
• A grating noise or feeling from the ends of the broken bones
• Difficult or unable to move the limb normally
• A wound that may have a bone end protruding, known as an open fracture
• May develop signs of shock, particularly with the fracture of a thigh bone or pelvis.

How to treat a fracture:

1. If there’s an open fracture
   • cover the wound with a sterile dressing
   • apply pressure around the wound, not over a protruding bone
   • secure with a bandage
2. Support the injured part above and below the joint
3. Place padding around injury
4. Call 999/112 for emergency help
   • Do not move the casualty unless you have secured the limb
5. Treat for shock
6. Monitor breathing and level of response.

Heatstroke 

What to look for 

1. Headache, dizziness and discomfort
2. They may be restless and confused
3. Hot, flushed and dry skin
4. Becoming less responsive quickly
5. Pulse that’s full and bounding
6. Body temperature above 40°C (104°F)

How to treat heatstroke: 

1. Move them to a cool place and call 999/112
   • Remove outer layers of clothing
2. Sit them down and wrap them in a cool wet sheet
   • Pour cold water over the sheet
   • Reduce their temperature to 37.5ºC
3. Replace the wet sheet with a dry sheet
4. Monitor their level of response and temperature.

Minor head injury – baby and child 

What to look for

• Bump or bruise to the head
• Possible head wound
• Dizziness or nausea
• Short period of unresponsiveness.

How to treat a baby with a minor bump to the head

1. Sit them on your lap place an ice pack wrapped in a tea towel on their head
2. Assess their level of response
   • A – Are they alert?
   • V – Do they respond to your voice?
   • P – Do they respond to pain?
   • U – Are they unresponsive? If they are unresponsive or you are worried call 999/112 for emergency help
3. Treat any wounds if necessary.

Severe bleeding 

How to treat severe bleeding

1. Apply direct pressure to the wound
2. Call 999/112 for emergency help
3. Secure dressing with a bandage to maintain pressure
4. Treat for shock
5. Support the injury.

The children’s first aid kit is on sale now. It can be purchased with free delivery until 31 August 2018 from the St John Ambulance customer services team on 0844 770 4808, quoting CFA111205. It will also be available soon on Amazon.

Giveaway

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Thank you for reading.

*Post in collaboration with St John Ambulance*