Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and First Aid

       Infants are curious by nature and learning and exploring things for the first time. They are unaware of the dangers that can occur when small objects are put in their mouths. Therefore it is important for adults and teachers to be trained and knowledgeable in how to respond to a child chocking or unresponsive.

Choking

       Molly, an infant in a daycare center, has begun chocking on a piece of food. The teacher, who is CPR certified, had molly sitting upright her highchair, allowing her to snack on a teething biscuit. Molly is only eight months old and does not have much experience with chewing and swallowing yet. The teacher notices that molly is having difficulty breathing and is unable to cry or make a sound. The teacher calls out to the aide in the room to call 911. At the same time the teacher takes Molly out of her chair and begins to give Molly back blows and chest trust to try and dislodge the object. After seven back blows Molly begins to cry loudly and cough which signals Molly is able to breathe again on her own. The teacher opens Molly’s mouth and sees the piece biscuit and removes it. The other two infants in the classroom are being looked after by the teacher’s aid as the situation with Molly is being handled.

       Advanced planning is the best way to handle emergency situations because it allows the teacher to act accordingly with confidence. I feel that a situation as scary as a choking or unconscious child is scary but being trained or knowledgeable in what the proper steps to take are. For teachers working with infants it is so important to be aware of the child at all times when they are eating as they are not familiar with chewing and swallowing yet.

       There needs to be at least one CPR certified person in the building of a childcare facility at all times. Teachers should send home a list of foods that are age appropriate for infants. Also teachers can reassess weather the child is ready for the type of food being offered and monitor the child closely while they are exploring with different age appropriate foods.

CPR For Infants

       Dylan an infant in a daycare center is sitting in a bouncer in the infant room. When the teacher looks over to check on Dylan she notices he is not moving and slightly blue in color. The teacher rushes over to assess the situation and calls out for the aide in the room to cal 911. When the aid calls out to the teacher in the next room for help the director of the program comes in to assist the aid in caring for the other infants in the room.  The teacher takes Dylan out of the bouncer placing him on the ground and begins to flick the bottom of his feet to see if he is responsive. When he doesn’t respond the teacher, who is CPR certified, begins to perform CPR on Dylan while until the paramedics arrive. Gently holding his forehead to keep the airway clear, the teacher places two fingers between the breasts bone, directly between the infants nipples. Then begin 30 chest compress ions using 1/3 to ½ of the chest at the rate of 100 per min. After the 30 compression the teacher covers the child’s entire mouth and nose with her mouth and gently breaths into his mouth and nose until his chest rises. Remove mouth and allow the chest to fall and repeat. If the chest does not rise and fall re-position head and try a breath again. Finally help arrives and takes over.

       Advanced planning is the best way to help prevent chocking in infants. Being certified to perform CPR on a child if they should stop breathing would be the most helpful thing in a scenario such as the above stated. I also feel that having emergency contacts in the room for each child ensure that family is contacted immediately if an incident happens. There should be a card on file that has any allergy information and special instructions concerning the child’s health.

                                                                 References

Robertson, C. (2016). Safety, Nutrition, Health in Early Education (6^th ed.) Boston, MA:

            Cengage Learning