Adrenaline will rush through your body if you ever have the unfortunate situation where you have to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This is especially true if you ever need to do CPR on an infant or toddler. CPR on an infant or toddler is different from doing CPR on an adult or larger child. There are a few safety concerns when doing CPR on an infant or a toddler that need to be remembered. Infant and toddler CPR is performed differently than adult CPR.
When opening the airway do not hyperextend the infant’s neck. This will actually cut off the infant’s breathing. Push the palm of your hand against the infant’s forehead to extend the neck slightly.
If the infant is not breathing then you need to give him two breaths. Cover both his nose and his mouth with your mouth. Slowly give the infant a breath and watch his chest rise. Remember, if the infant’s chest does not rise, gently reposition his head to a straighter position, keeping the palm of your hand on his forehead, and try again.
If your breaths still will not go in, then check the infant’s mouth. The infant may be choking on something. Reposition the head one more time and try to breath into his mouth. If there is a foreign object blocking the infant’s airway, then chest compressions is the recommended procedure.
Check for a pulse on the inside of the infant’s upper arm. This is called the brachial pulse. It is easier to find than the carotid pulse in the neck.
Chest compressions are different when performing infant CPR. You need to use only two fingers. Remember to position your fingers over the breastbone and between the nipples. Only compress to about one-third the depth of the infant’s chest. Do not compress too deeply or too shallow. If you compress too deeply you can injure the sternum, heart, or major blood vessels. If you do not compress the chest enough, then CPR is ineffective.
The American Heart Association recommends that for infant and toddler CPR the rate should be thirty chest compressions then two breaths.
Keep in your mind that babies are easily transportable. If you are alone, pick the child up while continuing chest compressions, and get to a phone to call 911.
Toddler CPR: Ages 1-4
Performing CPR on a toddler is different from both adults and infants. To check if the child is breathing, gently tilt his head back by lifting under his neck. Some CPR instructions call for the chin lift. Either way is acceptable, the point is to move the tongue away from the airway.
To give rescue breaths, you need to either pinch the toddler’s nose or, on a smaller child, cover both his nose and mouth with your mouth. Slowly give two breaths and watch for the chest to rise and fall. If the chest does not rise then reposition the head and try again. If your breaths will not go in, consider the possibility that something is blocking his airway.
On a toddler, you can try to locate the carotid pulse in the neck. If you are unsure about the position of the pulse, you can check for a brachial pulse in the arm.
Use the heel of one hand to do chest compressions on a toddler. Your hand placement is very important. To get the best position place two fingers at the bottom of the toddler’s breastbone then place the heel of your other hand over top.
You should only compress the breastbone to a depth of one inch. If you hear or feel any popping or cracking, then you are compressing too hard.
These are just some added safety tips for administering infant or toddler CPR. You can use these safety tips if you have already taken an infant or child CPR class. If you are not familiar with the CPR techniques, please visit the websites that I have listed under sources. These will give you an overview of infant and child CPR. You can also take a course through the American Red Cross.
