Infant and Child Basic First Aid
0 – 28 days NEONATE
28 days – 1 year INFANT
1 year – puberty CHILD
80 % of paediatric cardiac arrests are due to respiratory (breathing) problems
Early recognition and treatment of respiratory problems increases the rate of successful resuscitation in children!
Opening the infant's airway
- Put a rolled towel/blanket under the upper part of the body to align the airway
- Ensure a neutral position of the head
- Chin lift
- Manually remove any foreign bodies from the mouth
Check for breathing
- Look for chest movement
- Listen for breath sounds
- Feel for expired air
Assess for 10 seconds before deciding breathing is absent!
Is the victim breathing normally?
YES, breathing is normal

- If it’s possible, turn the child onto his side in the recovery position
- Send or go for help - call the emergency services
- Check for continued breathing
Is the victim breathing normally?
NO, breathing is absent

Call the emergency services
Give 5 initial rescue breaths
Mouth to mouth ventilation in children
- Open and maintain the airway open
- Pinch the nose of the victim
- Take a breath and cover the mouth of the patient with your mouth, then blow steadily for about 1- 1,5 sec., sufficient to make the chest rise
- Watch for the chest to fall as air comes out
Assess circulation
- Look for signs of life no more than 10 sec: any spontanous movement; cough; spontanous breathing
- If signs of life are present, turn the victim into the recovery position
- If signs of life are absent, proceed to chest compressions
Chest compressions in infants
- Compresses the sternum with the tips of two fingers
- Depress the lower sternum by at least one third the anterior–posterior dimension of the infant’s chest or by 4 cm
Chest compressions in children
- Place the heel of one hand on the lower half of the sternum
- Depress the sternum to at least one third of the anterior–posterior diameter of the chest or by 5 cm in children
- Repeat at a rate of 100– 120/min
CHEST COMPRESSIONS/RESCUE BREATHS RATIO 15:2
When to call for assistance?
- When more than one rescuer is available, one starts resuscitation while another rescuer goes for assistance
- If only one rescuer is present, undertake resuscitation for about 1 min or 5 cycles of CPR before going for assistance
- If you are on your own, witness a child suddenly collapse and you suspect a primary cardiac arrest, call for help first and then start CPR
Severe airway obstruction in a conscious child
The treatment for children over 1 year will be the same as for adults
Severe airway obstruction in conscious neonate and infant
- Put the newborn on your arm, with his face down and head lower than the rest of the body. Your second and third fingers will support the cheeks
- With the heel of your free hand, apply 5 back blows
Treatment for severe airway obstruction of a conscious infant or neonate
- 5 chest compressions, same as for ressucitation but shorter and more rare
- Abdominal thrusts are not indicated in infant and newborn
- Repeat the sequence back blows/chest compressions until the infant/neonate starts breathing
Treatment for severe airway obstruction of an unconscious child
- If the above maneuvers failed: remove any visible foreign bodies from the mouth
- 5 rescue breaths
- 15 Compressions : 2 rescue breaths