Our Newbie friend Leila Saadi, is Founder of Newborn and Beyond and is a Paediatric Emergency Nurse. When we recently met with her she explained how first aid will give you confidence when it really counts.
We might want to wrap our little ones in cotton wool this Christmas, but we have to let them learn, and from time to time little accidents happen. Having the confidence and knowledge on how to best deal with the situation is key and in most instances you will never be put in that scenario, but knowing what to do could make all the difference.
Choking
Choking is when your babies airway gets blocked and they can’t breathe properly. Young children are more likely to choke than adults, because they often put small objects in their mouths that they breathe in and get stuck.
Chocking is scary for those watching and terrifying for the casualty. A child or baby will get upset quickly and you need to act fast to clear what’s stuck. When someone chokes, the airway can either be partly or fully blocked. If it’s a mild blockage, they should be able to clear it themselves by coughing. If they can’t cough or make any noise, it’s serious and in this instance you will need to perform Baby CPR.
Our biggest tip when performing CPR is to push harder than you feel necessary. You don’t need to worry about hurting the baby or even breaking a rib. Broken ribs are repairable but a baby starved from oxygen can have life-long side effects.
Never leave a baby eating unattended and always break up food into small manageable pieces. Cut grapes in half (length ways) as these are the perfect size when whole to get stuck in little throats.
Keeping your little one warm
One of the most frequent question from expecting parents is how many layers of clothing they should put on their newborn, especially when sleeping. The two most important things to remember are:
- Newborns cannot regulate their own temperature
- They lose most of their heat from their head
Newborns should almost always be wearing a hat, especially when taking a Newborn out so they aren’t losing that valuable heat.
A simple way to determine how many layers a baby or child needs is the same amount as you plus one more layer. A typical outfit for newborn whilst at home, would be a vest, baby grow with feet or add socks and a thin hat. If you're having skin to skin time, they only need a hat on with a blanket wrapped over them.
When taking the baby outside you will just need to add a baby coat, hat and a blanket.