It is extremely important to understand that CPR performed on adults and children is very different from infant CPR. Parents, grandparents or other family members who are in contact with infants should be specifically trained in infant CPR.  Anyone who works with infants is required to have their infant CPR and first aid certification and must be recertified on a regular basis.

Infant CPR is designed to provide a mix of rescue breaths which delivers oxygen to the lungs and chest compressions to maintain blood circulation. It is vital that CPR be started immediately, as once the flow of blood has stopped, permanent brain damage and death can occur within just a few minutes.  Chest compressions need to be continued until an emergency response team arrives or until the infant’s breathing and heartbeat are restored.  Infant CPR can save a life and is not difficult to learn but is best performed by someone who has been trained in the proper procedures that must be followed in such emergencies. There are many reasons why an infant’s breathing or heart can stop, including:

  • Poisoning
  • Choking
  • Lung disease
  • Suffocation
  • Electric shock
  • Trauma to the head
  • Serious physical injury
  • Drowning
  • Excessive loss of blood

The basic steps for infant CPR are as follows:

  1. Shout to get the infant’s attention and gently tap him/her on the shoulder. If the child does not respond, is not breathing or not breathing properly, place the child on their back and begin CPR. This must be done before calling for the emergency response team. If there is a second person on the scene have them call while you begin chest compressions.
  2. Perform 30 chest compressions of at least 100/minute. To do this, place two or three fingers in the center of the chest (just below the nipples). Press down about 1 1/2  inches which is approximately one third the depth of an infant’s chest.
  3. Open the airway by gently tilting the head to lift the chin. Use care so that you do not tilt the head too far back.
  4. Give 2 gentle rescue breaths. Cover the infant’s mouth and nose with your mouth and give 2 breaths. Each breath should be gentle and about 1 second long. Each breath should cause the child’s chest to rise.

If you are alone, shout for help and begin 30 chest compressions followed by two breaths for about 2 minutes before calling for help. Unless you suspect there may be a spinal injury you may carry the infant with you to call for help.

Keep in mind that time is of utmost urgency when dealing with an infant who has stopped breathing. It takes only about 4 minutes once the brain stops getting oxygen for brain damage to start and as little as 4 to 6 minutes after that, death can occur. The best chance of survival that an infant has is such emergency situations are for the adults in charge to be professionally trained in infant CPR.

CPR Training

CPR training gives people the skills they need to administer a life saving procedure to someone whose heart has stopped, while waiting for medical help to arrive. In almost all cases when you are the only one present on the scene you need to first check the victim for responsiveness then call 911 prior to beginning chest compressions. Continue Reading...

Online CPR Certification

For anyone who wants to learn the basics of life saving procedures but may not be able to attend regular first aid classes, online CPR certification courses are an ideal way to learn the steps involved in providing CPR to someone whose heart has stopped beating. Continue Reading...

First Aid Certification

Would you know what to do if you suddenly found your spouse or child unconscious in the backyard? Certainly, you would want to call your local emergency response team but what if there was something you could do to help save that precious life while waiting for help to arrive. Continue Reading...