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A tragic incident recently occurred in Thai Nguyen: a 3-year-old boy died due to not being treated promptly when choking on a lychee seed. This serves as a wake-up call for parents taking care of young children. It's essential to pocket and understand the following 10 first aid skills to rescue your child in emergency situations.
1. First aid for a child choking on foreign objects (e.g., lychee seed, fabric piece, etc.)
When a child chokes on a foreign object, they may cough or gag, struggling to breathe due to the object blocking the airway. Quickly find a way to remove the object to prevent a life-threatening situation. Note: Parents should assess what the child is choking on and where the object is located. Only attempt to remove it if you can touch it to avoid pushing it deeper into the child's throat. Otherwise, follow these steps promptly:
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- If the child is under 12 months old, lay the child face down on your thigh, give 5 back blows between the shoulder blades with the palm of your hand. For younger children, parents can lay the child face down on their arm, ensuring the head and neck are well supported before delivering blows to the child's back.
- If there's no improvement, lay the child on their back, place the child's head in your palm, lower the child's body. Then, use two fingers to press firmly on the child's breastbone. Repeat this process for a second and observe if anything comes out of the child's mouth. If yes, retrieve it; if not, continue pressing.
- For children over 1 year old, parents can stand behind the child, place your fist between the child's navel and chest. Place your other hand over and pull upward forcefully. Repeat this five times.
If all attempts above fail to relieve the child's breathing difficulty, simultaneously with providing first aid, parents should call an ambulance for immediate assistance.
2. First aid for a child with burns
When a child gets burned, immediately cool the burned area with cold water for at least 10 minutes to reduce swelling. Remove clothing, but if it sticks to the burn, leave it on to avoid peeling the skin off with the clothes. Bandage the wound with plastic wrap or a clean, non-fibrous cloth. Note: If the burn is larger than a hand or severe, parents should take the child to the hospital immediately for medical attention.
3. First aid for a child experiencing electric shock
If the child is still in contact with electricity, do not touch the child, as you may also get shocked.
Find a way to immediately turn off the power if possible. If you have to touch the child to remove the power source, stand on a dry insulating material such as a phone book and use something made of insulating material like a newspaper roll, wooden stick, etc., to push the power source away.
Or if there's a nearby rope, loop the rope around the child's arm or ankle to pull them away from the electrical source, parents! Then check the child's breathing; if the child is unconscious but still breathing, place them in a recovery position. Call an ambulance immediately because electric shock burns, though small, can cause many internal dangers and injuries.
Avoid letting children use/come near electrical sources
4. First aid for a child injured and bleeding profusely
If a child has a deep cut causing heavy bleeding, clean it, dry your hands, and wear gloves. Then elevate the wound to redirect the blood flow to internal organs instead of letting it bleed externally. Simultaneously, check if anything is embedded in the wound. If so, do not remove it; keep it in place to avoid worsening the child's condition. Use a clean cloth to tie around the wound, ensuring padding is used to elevate the cloth higher than the object to prevent it from pressing inward. Call an ambulance immediately.
If nothing is embedded in the wound, use a clean cloth to press on the wound to stop bleeding and wrap tightly around. Note: However, do not wrap too tightly to allow blood to reach the fingers and toes. Depending on the severity, decide whether to call for emergency assistance.
5. First aid for a child with a sprained joint
If you suspect your little one has a sprained joint, first have them sit down. Then, put some ice in a cloth and apply it to the painful area for about 10 minutes to reduce swelling. Carefully bandage the injured area and keep it elevated to minimize blood flow to the injury site and reduce swelling.
6. First aid for a child's fall
The little one took a tumble and lost consciousness briefly, but it's still crucial to wrap them in a blanket to reduce shock, then call for emergency help.
Place the child in a recovery position if still breathing and shows no signs of neck or head injuries. Look for signs of a cracked skull, such as uneven pupils, blood from the ears, or fluid leaking from the nose.
Check for scratches or abnormalities on the limbs. If there's suspicion of a broken bone, keep it stable until the ambulance arrives.
If there are no severe signs but the child is alert, use a cloth soaked in cold water on the impact site for 10 minutes to reduce swelling. However, mothers should also monitor regularly for at least 48 hours after the child falls. If there are any unusual signs like seeing stars, dizziness, or difficulty speaking, take the child to see a doctor immediately.
7. First aid for a child who faints
If a child loses consciousness, call for emergency help immediately. While waiting for the ambulance, follow these steps:
- Lift the child's chin with one hand and press the forehead down to tilt the head back. Once the airway is open, listen to the child's breath.
- If the child is not breathing, perform artificial respiration: Tilt the head back, lift the chin, pinch the nose, and take a deep breath. Seal your mouth over the child's mouth and blow air for 1 second. Repeat this process no more than 5 times, checking if the child's chest rises. If not, check for any obstruction in the child's mouth and ensure the head remains tilted back.
- Place the heel of your hand on the child's breastbone. Press quickly and forcefully at a rate of about 100 compressions per minute. After 30 compressions, give two breaths to the child to provide oxygen to the lungs. After 2 breaths, resume chest compressions. Repeat this cycle until breathing is restored.
8. First aid for a child with nosebleeds
Have the child sit down and tilt their head back to prevent blood from flowing out of the nose. Pinch the child's nose and have them breathe through their mouth for 10 minutes. If the nosebleed continues, pinch the nose twice more. Once the bleeding stops, wipe the nose clean.
Note: Do not let the child talk or cough forcefully, as it may rupture the healed blood vessels in the nose and cause bleeding to resume.
Do not tilt the child's head too far back, as blood may flow back into the throat, causing choking and difficulty breathing. If applying these methods and the bleeding persists for more than 30 minutes, take the child to the doctor immediately, parents!
9. First aid for a poisoned child
If you believe your child has inhaled or ingested a toxic substance such as a cleaning agent, poisonous medication, etc., call for emergency help immediately and keep the child calm until the doctors arrive.
If possible, parents should find out what the child swallowed and bring the container to the hospital. Absolutely do not induce vomiting as it can cause damage to the child's stomach and esophagus.
If the child vomits on their own, take the vomited material to the hospital for analysis. If the child has swallowed something causing throat burns, give the child a little water or milk to soothe the inside of the throat.
10. First aid for a child with allergic shock
Allergic shock is a severe allergic reaction that can be caused by insect bites or consuming allergenic food, causing a drop in blood pressure, redness of the face, body, swollen nose, and difficulty breathing.
Firstly, determine if the child has a known allergy and carry the necessary treatment medication. Administer the medication into the thigh or buttock. Call for emergency help. Place the child in a recovery position. If the child cannot breathe and lacks medication, call for emergency help. While waiting for the ambulance, perform basic life support by providing rescue breaths for the child.
