The NHS are launching a safety campaign in the UK about the dangers of nappy sacks, after 11 babies suffocated having pulled the bags over their faces.

Commenting on the campaign, Children’s Accident Prevention coordinator and campaign founder Beth Beynon states ‘If we can take this campaign out to communities and reach parents, grandparents and carers we will have achieved one giant step towards preventing any more babies from needlessly dying.’

Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive at Child Accident Prevention Trust who support the campaign, says that ‘Because nappy sacks are seen as an essential piece of parenting kit, parents don’t realise that they are as dangerous to babies as plastic bags are to small children. They are often kept nearby, within easy reach, for nappy changing.’

She also goes on to note that ‘This campaign will remind parents that nappy sacks need to be kept out of reach of babies, particularly in the bedroom. Young babies are most at risk because they naturally grasp things and pull them to their mouths, but then find it difficult to let go. Nappy sacks are small and flimsy, and cling to babies’ faces so they can’t breathe.’

To avoid danger of suffocation and choking:

Always keep nappy sacks and other plastic bags and wrapping away from babies and young children

Never place nappy sacks in a baby’s cot or pram.

For more information on the dangers of blind cords please click our here. It will bring you to one of our First Aid tips.

sources:

http://www.injuryobservatory.net/nappy_sack_article.html

http://www.big-wife.com/dangers-of-nappy-sacks-revealed-as-11-babies-suffocate-in-the-uk/

http://www.mummypages.ie/dangers-of-nappy-sacks

First Aid For Everyone gives you the chance to win a great selection of essential First Aid products worth €75.

Our “First Aid hamper” contains a large family size First Aid kit which every household should have. It contains all the important ingredients from plasters and bandages to eye irrigation and CPR mouth shields. There is also a small brochure with essential First Aid treatments included.

You will also get the following:

• a travel size First Aid kit, ideal for car and your suitcase.
• an audio CD which teaches you First Aid. Perfect for listening in the car on your way to work.
• an instant ice pack a burns dressing and burn gel.
• triangular bandages
• a foil blanket to treat hypothermia.

In order to learn how and when to use all these items we will provide a Paediatric First Aid book as well as a child safety DVD which contains plenty of tips for parents.

To be in with a chance to win please register on rollercoaster.ie by the 7th December.

If you are interested in booking a place on one of our public Paediatric First Aid courses or if you want to organise a First Aid for Mums & Dads course in your own home please contact us.

It is less than 5 weeks till Christmas. The car parks in shopping centers are already packed. The conversation of more and more people becomes focused on the all important question “Do you know what you will give for Christmas?”

Are you one of these people?

Are your friends and family already sorted with hats, scarfs, socks and ties?

Why don’t you buy them a Gift Voucher from First Aid For Everyone? A voucher for one of our 1 day First Aid courses will give one of your loved ones the opportunity to learn potentially life saving skills. In an emergency these skills can make the difference between life and death.

She didn’t think much about it as this is not uncommon. However this changed quickly when she overheard the mother talking to a bystander. She mentioned that the girl fell about an hour ago and hit her head.

Siobhan offered her help. Once the mother found out that Siobhan is a First Aider and a nurse she was relieved and handed over.

It turned out that the little girl aged 3 stood in her buggy, lost balance and fell head first on the pavement. After the usual crying the child got sleepy and dozed off. Again there was nothing unusual about that as it was her regular nap time.

However when she woke up she complained of headaches. Minutes later she vomited. That was the point when Siobhan got involved.

The child was very agitated at this stage. She was brought into a small room away from the gathering crowd. Siobhan managed to calm the child down by lying her on a make shift bed and got her mother to lie behind her. That way she was always in control and was able to observe her closely.

Soon after the child calmed down another woman made herself known and offered her help. As it turned out she was a nurse in an intensive care unit in a Dublin hospital.

It didn’t take long before the two of them got worried. The little girl seemed to get drowsy and it became more and more difficult to wake her up. A decision was made to call an ambulance. It arrived within minutes. The paramedics took over. At this stage the child did barely react to a hard pinch at her arm. She was transferred to a large Dublin hospital from where the mother rang that evening. She told Siobhan that her daughter was kept as an inpatient for observation and potentially further investigation.

What can you learn from this real life story?

• Never underestimate a head injury!
• You don’t necessarily see the impact straight away! It can take several hours before a casualty shows symptoms.
• If the person involved starts vomiting after a head injury seek medical advice! It is a cardinal sign for a concussion (severe shaking of the brain)
• Watch out for any unusual signs up to 48 hours after the event. Should the casualty start vomiting within that time keep the head injury in the back of your mind.
• Check for bloody or clear fluid coming from the nose or ears – don’t hesitate and call an ambulance
• If the victim becomes drowsy or even unconscious call an ambulance. If that happens stay with the victim as they can vomit at any stage and aspirate. Life threatening!
• If necessary put the casualty into the recovery position.

For more detailed information please read our First Aid tip for head injuries.

We wish the little girl and her mum all the best and hope that they will both recover from the shock.

(P.S. The picture is not the child we are talking about. It’s a little boy who came off his bicycle. The bump on the head – would you use an ice pack? Why or why not?)

We would love to hear your opinion.

We have been asked recently what the main things are a parent will gain from doing a First Aid course.

The main point we are teaching parents is that it is better to do something than nothing. We focus to make parents confident that they can handle a First Aid situation. We tell parents that First Aid is not open heart surgery. It starts with holding the child’s hand and reassuring her/him that everything will be okay.

It is amazing and sometimes scary how little many parents know about safety in the home as well as very basic First Aid techniques.

Our catch phrase we use in our classes is “It is better to know First Aid and not need it than to need and not know it!” I think it sums it up nicely.

Here are a few tips for parents on what to do in an emergency:

The first and most important piece of advice is “stay calm”. Most parents’ instinct in an emergency situation is to panic. No parent would want to see their child hurt or injured.

However it is crucial that the parent keeps their nerves and reassures the child. Otherwise the situation can further escalate as you might not be able to treat child appropriately.

• Don’t run to the child – this might even put the parent in danger
• Check if the scene of the accident is safe – an injured parent can’t help the child
• Talk calmly to the child and play down any injury
• Reassure her/him that everything will be okay

Don’t be shy to ask for help! Many parents are well able to look after other children when they get hurt. However this ability disappears for many when it’s their own child.

Ask friends, neighbours or by-passers for help.

We have regularly “visitors” from the neighbourhood with injured kids. That ranges from nosebleeds, bee stings, and high temperatures to broken glass in the foot.

All of these situations could have been handled by the parents themselves but they felt the needed some help.

So don’t be afraid to ask help. There is no point to try to be the hero parent if you feel you can’t handle the situation.

All parents should talk to their children about potential emergency situations and what to do. It is important that even very young children know at least the emergency numbers and what to say if they have to use them. Don’t forget it could the adult who is in need of help!

• Use roll play as part of your family dinner, i.e. “What is number for the ambulance?”, “Can you tell the lady on the phone where you live?”
• Make sure children know the address where they live off by heart.
• Ask your child if they would know a landmark where they live, i.e. “our house has bright red shutters” – this could be vital to direct an ambulance especially in modern housing estates where all houses look the same

Even young children can be taught how to put somebody into the recovery position and how to open somebody’s airway. This can easily be taught through play and can be a potential life saver.

If you have any other tips please let us know as we are always eager to learn.

Unfortunately it is also a very dangerous time as statistics and newspaper reports prove every year. The excitement of adults and children makes them forget to be careful.

Follow our simple safety tips and enjoy a happy Halloween.

It all starts with the Pumpkin – make sure that children don’t handle sharp knifes to carve it. The carving should only be done by an adult but leave the cleaning of the inside to the kids. Don’t place burning candles inside when young children are around.

Next is the costume and accessories. Check the label to ensure it is flame resistant especially if you plan to visit a bonfire. This applies to wigs and face masks too!

Make sure the costume is not too long. The last thing you need is your child tripping and falling.

Kids don’t feel the cold and think a costume is warm enough. Insist that warm clothes are being worn underneath.

Use good quality face paints to ensure they are toxin free and don’t cause an allergic reaction.

If your child insists on bringing a knife, sword or pitch fork make sure they are small and of soft material to prevent injuries

The best part of Halloween for the children is the Trick – or – Treating. Before you leave the house talk to your children about some safety rules, i.e. use the footpath only, be extremely careful when crossing the road. Set out a route and agree on which streets you will be visiting.

Younger children should always be accompanied by a responsible adult while older children should only go on the hunt for treats in groups.

Give each child a torch – to see and to be seen! It reduces the risk of falls and increases the chances that the little vampires will be seen by cars.

Stay away from strangers – Speak to your children before you go trick-or-treating about “stranger danger”. Do not allow children to go into people’s houses.

Children should only go to houses where there is an outside light turned on and you know the residents. Bring younger children to the door of each house.

Be aware of the risk of choking! Children don’t want to wait to get home to start ploughing through their sweets. Make sure children are not eating small sweets and run at the same time. This can be very dangerous. Take a little break and let them enjoy a treat while you are with them.

Read our First Aid tips for choking incidents before you leave the house!

Only let them have wrapped sweets and chocolates. Discard home-made treats (unless you know the person who produced the goodies and trust their cooking skills)

If you are a motorist on the night – please be extra vigilant! Drive slowly especially when you are in residential estates. Don’t forget that the children will be very distracted.

Pay attention when you enter a drive way. Always be prepared that a child might come running behind a parked car.

Adhere to these tips and we should all have a great Halloween.

As part of our Paediatric First Aid courses we always advise participants of ways to child proof their homes. This sad event shows that every parent has to be vigilant and constantly scan the house for potential dangers.

When I started to look closer at this particular issue I discovered that strangulation from looped blind cords are not uncommon. There are whole websites dedicated to raise awareness. One of the most impressive website and blog is http://www.windowblindsafety.ie/.

In its archive there are articles for every month starting in February 2010!! The tragic stories are overwhelming.

So please follow these simple steps:

• Do not place a child’s cot, bed, playpen or high chair near a window so they may reach a blind cord
• Do not place furniture near a window that a child could climb on to reach a blind cord
• Do make sure that a safety device is fitted to keep the cords taut or out of reach

Safety devices are available and can be easily fitted to most existing blinds. Here is just one website we found were devises can be purchased: http://www.childsafety.ie/

The National Consumer Agency has published a leaflet in 2010 for consumers and retailers on window blind cords and safety steps to take to with cord loops on roller blinds, venetian blinds or vertical blinds. Click to view the document click on the link below.

NCA-window-blinds-guide-aug2010

The following video clip makes the dangers very visual. Be warned that this not suitable for the faint-hearted! It shows very graphically what can happen when a child gets entangled.

This is routine for us and a brilliant way to have a chat with the kids. They know the route inside out and know where we cross the road. Even our 3 year old son knows to stop at the traffic lights.

The same happened this morning. The kids waited patiently for the green man to appear. Once he showed up my eldest son stepped on the road when a manic cyclist nearly knocked him down.

My wife was absolutely horrified as this long haired late teen-early twenty year old idiot missed our son literally by an inch. She saw him coming at high speed without making even the slightest attempt to slow down. As you can imagine she tried to have a word with him. As a reply she was shown the middle finger.

Our son was shocked and thought it was his fault. This brainless maniac not only put my child’s health at risk but also his own. He didn’t wear a helmet (surprise surprise). If he would have even only slightly touched a person or car he would have lost his balance and would have been sent flying on the road.

Some cyclists just don’t understand that they don’t have any protection – besides a helmet – if they come off their bike. If you don’t wear at least a helmet your chances of suffering serious head injuries are very high.

As a cyclist, you can reduce your risk of death or injury by following some simple advice provided by the Road Safety Authority:

• Never cycle in the dark without adequate lighting – white for front, red for rear
• Always wear luminous clothing such as hi-vis vests, fluorscent armbands and reflective belts so that other road users can see you
• Wear a helmet
• Follow the rules of the road, never run traffic lights or weave unpredictably in and out of traffic
• Maintain your bike properly – in particular, your brakes should work properly and your tyres should be inflated to the right pressure and be in good condition
• Respect other road users – don’t get into shouting matches with motorists; stop at pedestrian crossings; don’t cycle on the footpath
• Watch your speed, especially when cycling on busy streets and going downhill
• Steer well clear of left-turning trucks: let them turn before you move ahead

While I had a looked for statistics on cycling accidents I came across this site. It gives the danger of cycling in Ireland a very chilling face.

So please be careful when on your bike and never ever cycle without a helmet! Speed kills – that applies to cyclists too.

I got chating to a colleague of mine, Noelle Driver. After the usual banter the conversation became more serious. She told me that for many years she supports different charity events and that she would love to do some fundraising.

I have to admit that I was seriously impressed with how much passion and enthusiasm she spoke about it. This is somebody who devotes a lot of her spare time trying to make a difference to other peoples lives, in Ireland and abroad.

Her latest project is “Hilarity for Charity” – a comedy night out in the D¦two night club. She is organising this event together with her friend Michelle McSweeney.

The proceeds from this evening will go to Barnardo’s and the ISPCC. They chose these charities for personal reasons in the knowledge that there are so many children in Ireland in need of help and support. Without the help of these voluntary organisations many children would have no future.

As parents of 4 young children and a First Aid training business specialised in Paediatric First Aid we proudly support Michelle and Noelle.

Please make a note in your diary:

Date: 7th October 2011 19:00 – 23:30

Venue: D¦two Night Club, 60 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2

Cost: €20 which includes entry to the night club after the comedy night

Who will be there: The line up  of comedians include Eric Lalor, Enda Whitney, Ghost Train Willy, Gearoid Farrelly and Matt Sadlerrelly and Matt Sadler. There will be plenty of prizes given away in a big raffle.

This event will shortly be advertised on the websites of Barnardo’s and the ISPCC. In the meantime please visit their Facebook page “Hilarity for Charity”.

We would like to ask you to invite all your friends and family. It’s going to be a great night out and you will support two charities that look after children in Ireland who need all the help that they can get.