Introduction
When a child is hurt, the natural response is to call 911. However, if your child has stopped breathing and you're not able to revive them with CPR, it's too late for 911. Although every second counts when someone needs CPR, proper training can make all the difference in whether you save your loved one's life or not.
CPR is the only thing that can save a child's life.
CPR is the only thing that can save a child's life.
There are many myths about CPR, but the truth is that if you don't know how to do it, you could kill your child. It's easy to learn and parents and caregivers should ask a medical professional how to do it. We recommends using only compressions on young children because they have higher chances of surviving than adults do when receiving compressions alone
A child's heart is different than an adult's heart.
A child's heart is different than an adult's heart. Children have a smaller chest cavity, which means that their lungs have less room to expand. This can make it more difficult for them to breathe deeply and fully during CPR.
Also, because of their size and weight ratio compared with adults, children tend to bleed out more quickly than adults do when they are injured. A child who has been in a car accident may need CPR if he or she has internal bleeding from broken bones or other injuries; this internal bleeding can lead to unconsciousness within minutes without treatment.
Another important difference between children and adults is blood pressure--the force behind each heartbeat that pushes blood throughout our bodies' systems (including our brains). For this reason alone it makes sense why kids should always be monitored closely when taking medications like aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil) because these types of drugs can cause serious side effects if taken incorrectly by anyone but especially children due to their unique physiology!
Children who have severe injury may not respond to CPR.
Sometimes, children who have a severe injury may not respond to CPR. For example, if the child has a severe head injury they may not respond to CPR. If this is the case, call 911 immediately and continue to perform chest compressions until help arrives or until the child starts breathing again on their own (if it happens). Do not worry about what other people think as you are helping someone in need! For example: if you are at a restaurant and someone is choking on food that needs to be removed from their throat quickly--do not hesitate for even one second--call 911 immediately!
We recommend using only compressions on young children.
We recommend using only compressions on young children. The standard CPR method for adults is 30 compressions to 2 breaths, but with kids, the ratio changes: It's 15 chest compressions to 1 breath.
The reason for this is simple: Young children don't have as much blood in their bodies as adults do--in fact, they only have about half as much! So when you breathe into them (with rescue breaths), you're not actually putting oxygen into their lungs; instead, you're just pushing air around inside of them and helping them exhale some built-up carbon dioxide from their last breath. But since there isn't much blood flow going through those tiny little veins and arteries anymore anyway (compared with what it would be like if they were full-grown), those extra few seconds of compression time will make more difference than any extra oxygen flow ever could because those compressions are forcing blood out of the heart and into other parts of circulation where it needs to go--like everywhere else except for our brains!
Parents and caregivers should start CPR with compressions, then rescue breaths.
- Parents and caregivers should start CPR with compressions, then rescue breaths.
- Compressions are the most important part of CPR in children. You should do at least 100 chest compressions per minute during a resuscitation attempt.
- Rescue breaths are also important but they come after you've finished 30 seconds of continuous chest compressions on your child. To give a rescue breath, pinch your child's nose shut and put your mouth over their mouth; then breathe into them for about one second (or until you see their chest rise). You should wait about 5 seconds before giving another rescue breath if needed--but only if the child isn't coughing or breathing on their own again by this point!
- Remember: it's not just about pumping up their lungs with oxygen--it's also about pushing blood through their heart so that it can circulate throughout their body! You want to keep doing this until help arrives or until someone else takes over caregiving duties from you
If your child stops breathing, you need to start CPR immediately
When your child stops breathing, you need to start CPR immediately. If you are not sure if your child is breathing, check for chest movement and listen for sounds of air entering or leaving the lungs. If you are not sure if his/her heart is beating, check for a pulse at the wrist or neck. If your child is unconscious but still has a pulse, place him on his back and use two fingers placed just under the center point in between his nipples (this is called "checking the heartbeat").
- If your child does not respond after trying these steps and/or if his/her pulse is absent or very weak: You should begin chest compressions right away!
Conclusion
CPR for children can be a lifesaver. If your child has an accident or illness that causes him or her to stop breathing, CPR can help keep him or her alive until emergency medical personnel arrive. We hope that you never need to know how to perform this life-saving technique, but if the time comes when you do need it, we hope that these tips will help you get through it as smoothly as possible!
