It’s one of those skills you fervently hope you’ll never have to use. But no parent should have to live with the regrets of not having known how to perform infant CPR. A few hours of your time a year will keep you up to speed.

by Stephanie Gurley-Thomas

Imagine that your baby is choking or has stopped breathing. Do you know what to do?

Babies can choke on just about anything, from breast milk or formula to blankets, toys, and clothing. They can easily slip under water in a tub or pool. Infant CPR is a skill of parenting children you hope you'll never use--but every parent must be prepared to take action with this lifesaving technique.

CPR is cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the action of combining mouth-to-mouth breathing with chest compressions. It is performed when someone is in cardiac or respiratory arrest and is meant to restore breathing and circulation until medical help can arrive.

According to the American Heart Association, CPR was developed in 1960 and endorsed by the American Heart Association in 1963. The U.S. Army brought CPR to the forefront during the Vietnam War. In 1973, the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association started a campaign to teach CPR to America.

Babies are different

There are three types of CPR: adult, child, and infant. The American Red Cross states that infant CPR is for children under age 1, child CPR is for children ages 1 to 12, and adult CPR for persons ages 12 and up.

Just because you know the adult or child method of CPR, don’t think you can perform CPR on an infant. According to Richard N. Bradley, M.D., member of the American Red Cross Advisory Council, the three methods are very different.

“Not only is adult CPR less effective on an infant, but there is a chance you could hurt the baby by pushing too hard or giving too big breaths,” Dr. Bradley told Parent USA City.

Hands-on class from certified teacher is essential

So, how can you learn infant CPR? Dr. Bradley says the best way to learn infant CPR is to take a course for certification from a certified instructor.

“The key is hands-on training,” he says. “A book, website or DVD is not enough. You really need to get some practice time on a mannequin to be able to perform when the actual time comes.”

Many hospitals, community centers, and your local chapters of the American Heart Association and American Red Cross offer CPR classes. Classes range from three to five hours in length, and cost approximately $24 to $90 per person, with take-home materials.

Classes may include a combination of infant, child, and adult CPR instruction, and/or standard first aid practices and instruction regarding how to use an automated external defibrillator. A typical class may include the use of videos, printed materials and practicing CPR techniques on a mannequin.

If you just can’t make it to a class, or want to have something on hand for a refresher, the American Heart Association offers a kit, Infant CPR Anytime®, for caregivers to learn the core skills of infant CPR and relief of choking through a minute using the provided DVD and mannequin.

In order to stay current, Dr. Bradley recommends that all CPR courses should be repeated annually.

“We see that CPR performance skills begin to diminish right away after certification,” said Dr. Bradley. Certification is only valid for one year for this very reason.

Dr. Bradley also says that while it is very important that parents become certified, it is equally important that anyone caring for your child hold an infant CPR certificate as well.

Learning infant CPR is simple, inexpensive and takes only a few hours. No one wants to think they will ever need it, not for their child or someone else’s child. But, plain and simple, knowing infant CPR can save a child’s life.

A first look at infant CPR how-to

The University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington, has these basic instructions for infant CPR on their website. Again, we want to emphasize that the best way to learn infant CPR is from a certified instructor. Knowing the basics does not mean you know how to perform CPR when the time comes.

1. Shout and Tap. Shout and gently tap the child on the shoulder. If there is no response, position the infant on his or her back.

2. Open the Airway. Open the airway using a head tilt lifting of the chin. Do not tilt the head too far back.

3. Give Two Gentle Breaths. If the baby is NOT breathing, give two small, gentle breaths. Cover the baby’s mouth and nose with your mouth. Each breath should be one second long. You should see the baby’s chest rise with each breath.

4. Give 30 Compressions. Give 30 gentle chest compressions at the rate of 100 per minute. Use two or three fingers in the center of the chest just below the nipples. Press down approximately one-third the depth of the chest.

5. Repeat. Repeat with two breaths and 30 compressions. After two minutes of repeated cycles, call 911 and continue giving breaths and compressions.

More information from the Red Cross

The American Red Cross offers additional information regarding infant, child, and adult CPR and emergency preparedness.

●  How-To Video on Compression Only CPR. This 2-1/2-minute video shows viewers how to perform Compression-Only CPR in case they witness the sudden collapse of an adult or adolescent.  It was produced for people who have not been trained in CPR or who are not sure what to do.

●  Be Red Cross Ready Online Presentation. The Red Cross has developed a free Be Red Cross Ready online presentation to help people prepare for emergencies, from the routine (kitchen accidents) to the extreme (hurricanes, floods, tornadoes…).  The “Be Informed” section contains these demonstrations:

• Check-Call-Care
• Conscious Choking
• Adult CPR/AED

●  Preparedness Fast Facts. Preparedness Fast Facts (tear sheets) are available for free downloading and help people learn what to do before, during and after emergencies.

●  First Aid Kits. The Red Cross offers a variety of “ready made” first aid kits to meet the needs of family and household members.

• The “Family First Aid Kit” was designed to treat minor injuries of a family of four.
• The “Deluxe Family First Aid Kit” contains over 100 supplies.
• “Pocket” and “Personal” kits are perfect for those on the go.

●  Family Guides. First Aid and Safety for Babies and Children Guide and Family Guide to First Aid and Emergency Preparedness, both with DVDs.

 

Now living in St. Louis with her husband and toddler daughter, Stephanie Gurley-Thomas is a graduate of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. She has over 13 years of experience in media relations, public relations, special events and writing.

© Photo by Andreja Donko | Dreamstime.com