When Should I do a Baby & Child First Aid Course?
"When is the best time to learn Baby and Child First Aid?"
This must be the number one question parents and parents-to-be ask me the first time we meet, and they always seem to be taken back by the answer.
The simple answer, in a nutshell is learn baby and child first aid as soon as you can.
A lot of people expect me to tell them the best time is when they are coming up to weaning and the worry about choking kicks in. But here’s the thing, the reality check, an emergency does not wait for you to be trained up! Nor will your child give any second thought about how you will deal with the inevitable gagging incident when they shove that bit of carrot down their throat.
Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but babies can choke on anything. Milk, reflux, I’ve been told stories about it all from the parents on my classes. Please do not assume you can avoid this until weaning.
Another reason for learning as soon as you can is life. Life, especially when you have a little one, gets in the way. I regularly get enquiries from expectant parents asking for dates to book a class and then never get around to it until 6 months after little ones make their debut. Your life is turned upside down (albeit in a good way!). The smallest person in the house has the biggest amount of stuff and suddenly leaving the house takes thirty minutes longer than normal.
The second most common question I get asked about my classes is "will I ever need it?"
Parent first aid classes aren’t just about the major things like CPR or putting your child in the recovery position. I also teach things that parents are more likely to experience like how to deal with choking, infant seizures and how to spot signs of meningitis to name but a few.
I would like to ask you to stop for a moment and think about all the baby products you may have bought to keep your little ones safe. What they sleep in, which monitor you bought, sterilisers, baby thermometers, car seats, prams. Part of the reason you might have chosen what you have is how safe it will keep your little one. First Aid is another way you can help keep your baby and child safe. As a mum of two particularly clumsy girls (inherited from their Dad I must add) I have first hand experience of how kids can very easily get into all kinds of incidents! Knowing how to deal with an accident can have an impact on what the outcome will be.
Thank you so much to Nic for writing this super helpful guest blog post.
If you would like to find out any more information, please contact Nic directly here: