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We all know we should not only take an infant and child CPR class, but we should re-up those lessons every two years. After all, your memory fades, your kids grow, and you don't want to be second guessing yourself if a real emergency does happen. Which is exactly what just happened to me.
I took an infant CPR class when my oldest child was a few months old. She's now six, and I've forgotten so much of what I learned that I completely froze when a mother was screaming for help this morning outside of Starbucks. Faced with an unconscious baby, the only thing I remembered to do was call 911.
Luckily by the time I made it over to the woman, the baby boy was conscious, seemingly okay, and it was the mother who needed help more than anything. What had happened (if piecing together the spurts of information tell the correct story) was that the 1 1/2 -- 2-year-old fell and hit his head and was unconscious for a moment. But when I ran up, I saw an open bag of popcorn on the table, so my assumption was this baby was choking. No matter what the scenario, I knew I wasn't qualified to help. And that's not a situation I want to be in again. As the paramedics arrived, and everything seemed okay the barista said to me, "That makes your soul hurt to see a child in danger like that," and I almost burst into tears.
Since I can't sign up for CPR today, I found some online resources to give me (and you) a refresher on what to do when faced with an injured, or unconscious baby. I also found my nearest location that offers a CPR class, so I can sign up and feel confident again. I never want to feel like I was what stood between life an death of a child, because I wasn't prepared.
I implore you to read on for a quick refresher, at the very least.
Choking
A teenage babysitter uses a real baby to show some fast and memorable moves to help a choking baby. The video somehow makes it stick more than simply reading.
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
Head Injury
If a baby or child loses consciousness, take him to the hospital immediately. If he doesn't lose consciousness, but has any of the following symptoms, take him to the hospital as well:
won't stop crying
complains of head and neck pain
vomits repeatedly
difficult to awaken
becomes difficult to console
isn't walking normally
More information on the specifics of infants and children and head injuries can be found on Kids Health, but most importantly remember to have your baby checked out if he hits his head and becomes unconscious.
In fact, there are printables and instruction sheets for every possible accident your child could have from allergic reactions to animal bites. Take the time to read them right now, I know I am.
Do you know what to do in an emergency with your baby?
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