We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Medicine

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Child CPR?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 3,642
Share

Child CPR is cardio-pulmonary resuscitation for children who are usually aged eight or younger. It is typically taught as part of training in infant and child CPR, which also may include assessing for choking. This is important since children aren’t very likely to have heart problems unless injury has occurred to the heart or defect is present, but choking injury restricting breath, such as drowning, can be very likely.

In a variety of classes, people may take child CPR. This could be in conjunction with training in adult CPR or it could be taught alone. Though not necessarily a requirement, parents are encouraged to get this training, and it may be a legal requirement for some teachers and daycare workers to periodically get trained or recertified in this subject. While people can get theoretical training online for this, it is much safer to have training in person because this allows for practice on both infant and child size dummies, helping people get the feel for compression strength and breath volume.

Basic child CPR is conducted in the following way, though this brief description cannot possibly substitute for training. The child should first be checked for breathing and pulse, or possible awareness. Shaking the child isn’t a good idea especially if there are suspected head or neck injuries. Instead, lightly pressing down on the sternum (breastbone) with the knuckles evokes pain, it’s easy to try this and find out, and will rouse a child if he or she can be roused.

When there is no response and no breathing is present, the child should be carefully positioned on his or her back, with head tilted slightly upward. The airway should be checked for any obstructions. The next step is to begin two breaths into the mouth while pinching the nose shut.

This should be followed by 30 chest compressions with the heel of the hand. The area to apply the compressions is the center chest below the nipples. Compressions should not be too forceful as they can cause the ribs to break. People can repeat with another two breaths and thirty more compressions, and they may continue to perform child CPR until emergency help arrives.

On this last note, it’s very important to get emergency services to the scene as soon as possible, but delaying child CPR isn’t a good idea either. When possible, get someone else to get help while CPR is performed. If no one else is available, people will need to make a judgment call as to whether CPR or emergency services are more important. The most common recommendation is to perform one minute of CPR and then to call 911.

This difficult choice illustrates the necessity of training in child CPR. One of the things noted about this lifesaving teaching is that children are much likely to respond to it. In incidences of drowning or other accidents, CPR often brings a child around and helps reestablish breathing and regular heartbeat. Having the information and skills to perform this procedure, if required, often provides confidence and relief to those who are regularly around children. Those interested in classes can find them through organizations like the Red Cross or the American Heart Association.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-child-cpr.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.