FIRST AID FOR LITTLE ONES: DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO?

June 9, 2016

With three little boys at home aged 8, 6, and 4, you already have enough reason to take a first aid course. It had been on my list for years, but it never happened. Until I received an announcement from EHBO Bureau, offering a workshop specifically for parents of babies and young children.
The workshop is in the evening, lasts 3 hours, and takes place at Playground de Glasblazers. You can still register for the next one on Wednesday, June 29. If that date doesn't suit you, you can also have a workshop given at your home. That's convenient: gather some parents from school, sports, or the neighborhood, and you don't have to leave your house.

During the workshop, the main risks and responses are covered, such as burns, choking, fractures, and poisoning. Among other things, you learn how and how long to cool burns, when to call 112, and how to apply the Heimlich maneuver on a child. CPR is only briefly covered. If you want to master that, you should enroll in the special course that focuses on it.

The instructor, who works as a nurse in a dialysis center, explains everything clearly and is aware that children react differently than adults in certain situations. An example? Suppose your child has 'snacked' on a cleaning product or medicine, don't get angry, but try to calmly find out what happened. If you get angry, the chances are slim that your child will honestly tell you what he or she has eaten or drunk. One of the eye-openers for me was that even a simple strip of paracetamol can be life-threatening for a child. Most medicines and cleaning products are stored high or locked away at our place, but who doesn't have a box of paracetamol lying around in their bag?

All in all, I feel more confident now that I have attended this workshop, and I am also extra vigilant about potential accidents in and around the house that can be prevented.

Would you also like to take a course? Visit ehbobureau.nl for dates and options.

Author: Nicoline van Slingelandt, from 'Mugjes'