Red Cross Blogs

How to save a baby’s life

By Mark Cox
July 30, 2010 at 12:49 pm

My friend (yes, I have friends) had a baby less than two weeks ago, a little girl. Of course, she’s absolutely beautiful – in that baldy, gurning, Winston Churchill kind of way that babies have – and has instantly become the single most important thing in the world to her mother and doting extended family.

As she reels around the snatched sleep / lactation / clearing up mustard-coloured poo spiral, the new mum – dazed but blissful – has been left wondering what on earth she did with her life before this precious little bundle arrived.

Because babies are precious. But, and here’s the rub, they’re also so very tiny and delicate. Think of those microscopic fingernails, skin soft as silk paper and that creepy, squishy bit at the top of the head where the skull hasn’t grown over yet. I don’t want sound all doom-mongering, but the fact is babies can be very vulnerable – which is why I’ve been badgering my friend (knackered as she is) to log on to the Red Cross’ children first aid website when she gets a spare moment.

Our tailor-made website recognises that parents and carers are always busy and so provides bite-sized chunks of first aid knowledge that are easy to pick up – but could prove invaluable. It’s well worth a look.

One of the best parts of my job is getting to report on the stories of parents who’ve used their first aid savvy to save their own kid’s lives – people such as Samantha Tongue and the Blomleys, who were able to stay calm and save the life of their four-week-old choking baby after attending a pre-natal first aid course. I love getting to write these good news stories. But I also think sometimes about the other stories I’ll never get to write, the ones that had the worst possible ending.

If you’re a parent, or have young children as a regular feature in your life, I’d ‘umbly suggest you swot up on some basic skills. A quick afternoon course, or even half an hour at the computer, might well turn out – if things suddenly go pear-shaped – to be the most important thing you ever did.

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Tags: baby, choking, Emergencies, First aid, first aid tips, first aid training

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 12:49 pm and is filed under First aid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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