Teach children first-aid practices

Smitha is a working mom who must juggle household responsibilities and office work during these pandemic times. Her six-year-old daughter gets out to play with her friends in the play area. One day, one of her daughter’s friends slipped from the slide and had a fall. Smitha’s daughter came home running to get a bandage for her friend’s wound. Smitha was happy with this response but she was also worried about the child’s safety.

In these times, children must learn survival strategies that human beings should know. Moreover, thinking and talking about potential worst-case scenarios are often helpful. We want to protect our children from fears and allow them to “just be kids”. However, preparing and training them in first aid practices is essential. All we need to do is combine learning with our day-to-day slips and falls.

The first step to do so is to understand the fundamentals of first aid. Mentioned below are the three main aspects:

1. First aid is an application of skills to preserve life, prevent deterioration and promote recovery

2. It is a vital skill that requires learning

3. Golden rules of first aid include safety first, perform tasks in a logical order.

The fundamentals are simple. If while playing or by any reason a child gets injured or experiences any bleeding, it’s vital to do the following:

1. Applying pressure to the bleeding wound

2. Icing a swollen injury

3. Applying cold running water or a wet towel to a burn

4. Pinching the nostrils for 10 minutes for a nosebleed

5. Draping a blanket over a person in shock

6. Gently rolling a person into the recovery position

Implement these approaches to educate your child on first-aid practices.

The world is your classroom: This starts when they’re toddlers. Any scrape, nosebleed, or fall from the mango tree is a teaching moment. You can verbally describe every step you’re taking. Teach them how much pressure must be applied to stop the bleeding. Then show them how to gently wash the dirt out of the cut with clean water and then apply a bandage with a bit of compression.

Play doctor: Kids learn best when they feel relaxed and playful. Engage with their natural love of playing doctor by pretending to be their imaginary patient and telling them your symptoms. Switch roles and let them practise being the calm, reassuring caregiver. Be explicit about what your child is learning. Go through the first aid kit together. Make sure your family kit is well organised so a child can find the required items quickly.

Teach the child how to get help and how to describe the situation: A child must know where to find the emergency numbers. If these can be memorised with them, even better. Let kids use the phone to practise and memorise the sequence of the emergency numbers, but don’t forget to stress how important it is never to use emergency numbers for play or curiosity.

Train older children in the following: Kids should get familiar with a basic primary assessment, sometimes abbreviated with the acronym DRAB.

Danger: Take a moment to make sure it is safe to approach the injured person - are there any hazards such as electrical wires, damaged structures, moving vehicles, or falling objects? If the surroundings are dangerous, get help right away before trying to assist

Response: Talk to the injured person. Do they answer questions? Do they appear to be awake or unconscious? The emergency operator will need to know how they respond

Airway: If unconscious, gently tip the head back to ensure the tongue is not blocking the airway. If your child can practice on you several times, it won’t feel awkward if they ever have to do it in reality

Breathing: Practice checking for breathing with role-plays as the ‘patient’, ask your child to assess you while you either breathe quietly or hold your breath for 10 seconds. The child can then call for emergency help.

Part of our job is to assure our kids that they never need to be heroes or overstep their abilities. Make sure children know that their first and most important job is to stay safe, and then help others.

(The writer is a physician based in Mulund)