First aid for babies and children

There are approximately 6,500,000 parents with children under 5 in the UK – that’s a huge number. Research shows that parents with a young child are keen to learn some basic first aid skills – they are responsible for the safety of their child after all. If the worst happened, and you found yourself in a first aid situation, wouldn’t you want to know the right way to do things, to know that you were doing the best for your child while waiting for professional help?

I know I would.

The majority of parents who are interested in learning first aid are in their third trimester of pregnancy or have a baby up to around 8 months old – but it is important to engage parents outside of this period, when these knowledge and skills are just as important and could be incredibly useful. Two thirds of parents would like more information on first aid, and it is rated as one of the top skills parents wished they’d learnt before having a baby. Would you know what to do if your child choked on a sweet or burnt themselves on a cup of tea? Immediate first aid could make such a massive difference.

So where do you turn for help?

The British Red Cross have created a free baby and child first aid app which you can now download. This offers reliable and convenient first aid advice wherever you are. If your child chokes on a sweet or suffers a nasty cut, you’ll only be a few clicks away from knowing exactly what to do. The app is packed with useful videos, animations and tips and provides simple and easy advice, and each skill only takes minutes to learn. You can test your knowledge using the built in first aid quizzes (you can also use these quizzes to see how much other people know – why not test grandparents and friends with children?) There is even a handy device to record your child’s medication needs and any allergies. The app is FREE and has already received positive reviews with a 4 star rating in the Apple App Store.

They also offer first aid courses for parents with a child aged between 0-12 years. These are held across the UK and provide invaluable and accurate advice on how to help your child should the need arise.

So what are you waiting for? The app is free, it teaches you valuable, life saving skills and you may well find you really enjoy being more informed and empowered. I know I do. I am planning to book myself onto one of the first aid courses in the next few weeks. You just never know when something might happen – life with children is so unpredictable. Hopefully you will never need to use your first aid skills, but if you do, then at least you know you have done the very best for your child by getting clued up. Get your free baby & child first aid app now.

* This is a collaborative post *