Basic Life Support for Children over 12 months

Check the area for DANGER to yourself and others

Check your child for any RESPONSE

• Squeeze child’s shoulder and call the child’s name.

• If no response……

Send for HELP

(call 000 for an ambulance – a bystander can do this for you)

Open AIRWAY

• Lie child on their back and tilt the head back and support the chin forward.

• Open mouth, look for any objects and remove anything visible with your fingers.

• If the throat is blocked with fluid such as vomit then roll onto side to drain the fluid.

Check for normal BREATHING

• LOOK for chest movement
• LISTEN and FEEL for air coming out of the nose and mouth.

IF NOT BREATHING OR ABNORMAL BREATHING START CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR)  

1. View the centre of the chest: place the heel of one hand on the lower half of the breastbone (sternum).

2. For larger children you will need to use two hands - place the other hand on top of your first

3. Start chest compressions. Push the chest down by 1/3^rd of the depth of your child’s chest.  Give 30 chest compressions and then give 2 breaths.  Continue with this, aiming to give 100 compressions per minute.

4. If your child becomes responsive or if normal breathing returns turn them onto their side watch their breathing and stay with them until the ambulance arrives. Call for help if you haven’t already done this.

5. If your child is still unresponsive and not breathing normally after 1 minute of CPR and an ambulance has not been called, take your child with you if possible or place them on their side and go to the nearest telephone and call an ambulance:

6. Continue CPR until the ambulance arrives or your child begins to breathe normally.

• Any attempt to resuscitate is better than none