This year 5th-11th June is Child Safety Week, and St John Ambulance Cymru has put together some top tips to help keep children and young people across Wales safe.
Child Safety Week is an annual community education campaign run by the Child Accident Prevention Trust. This year’s theme is ‘safety made simple’. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) very year in the UK year an average of 370,000 children need treatment in the Emergency Department due to an accident at home, and an average of 55 children under the age of five die every year due to an unintentional injury.
When a baby starts to crawl, they can bump their head on furniture or other objects and when starting to walk they may be unsteady and fall. Most of the time the injury will be minor and they might not even cry, but sometimes a bump on the head can be more serious. If you think your baby has a minor head injury sit them on your lap and hold something cold against the injury to help reduce the swelling, like an ice pack or a frozen bag of vegetables wrapped in a tea towel.
While you do this try to assess the baby’s level of response using the AVPU scale:
- Alert – Are they alert? Are their eyes open?
- Voice – Can they respond to you if you talk to them?
- Pain – Does the baby respond to pain? If you flick the bottom of their foot, or pinch their ear lobe, do they respond to you by moving or opening their eyes?
- Unresponsive – Are they unresponsive to all of the above? If they are unresponsive or you are worried, call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
If they have any wounds, treat them by applying direct pressure to the wound. Keep checking the baby’s level of response until they’ve recovered or medical help arrives.
If your baby (a child under one year old) is choking, their airway is partly or completely blocked, meaning that they may be unable to breathe properly. As you start weaning your baby and they begin eating solid foods or playing with small objects, they may be at risk of choking.
If you think the baby is choking then they need your help straight away. If they can breathe, are making noises, or coughing, then they may be able to clear their own throat.
- If the baby cannot breathe, cry, or cough, they may be choking and you will need to give five back blows.
- Lay the baby face down along your forearm and thigh, making sure you support their head and neck. Give five sharp back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
- Turn them over on your thigh and check their mouth. Pick out any obvious obstructions you can see with your fingertips.
- Do not sweep the mouth as this could push the object further down the throat.
- If back blows fail to clear obstruction, give five chest thrusts with your baby facing upwards, making sure you’re supporting their head and neck. Put two fingers in the centre of their chest just below the nipple line and give five sharp chest thrusts.
- Check their mouth again, each time you deliver a chest thrust.
- Call 999 or 112 for emergency help if the obstruction hasn't cleared. Take the baby with you to make the call.
- Keep repeating five back blows and five chest thrusts until help arrives, checking their mouth each time.
- If the baby becomes unresponsive at any point, prepare to start CPR.
For more first aid advice please visit our website.
St John Ambulance Cymru also has a dedicated Paediatric First Aid Course which focuses on emergency scenarios that could face those looking after young children and infants. This includes people who look after children in day nurseries, private nursery schools, pre-schools, before/after school clubs for children in the early years age group, childminders, and carers of children at home.
You can find out more about our wide range of first aid courses here.
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Mae St John Ambulance Cymru yn cynnig cyngor ar gyfer Rhieni a Gofalwyr yr Wythnos Diogelwch Plant hon
Eleni 5ed-11eg Mehefin yw Wythnos Diogelwch Plant, ac mae St John Ambulance Cymru wedi llunio rhai awgrymiadau da i helpu i gadw plant a phobl ifanc ledled Cymru yn ddiogel.
Mae Wythnos Diogelwch Plant yn ymgyrch addysg gymunedol flynyddol a gynhelir gan yr Ymddiriedolaeth Atal Damweiniau Plant. Thema eleni yw ‘diogelwch yn symlach’. Yn ôl y Gymdeithas Frenhinol er Atal Damweiniau (ROSPA) flwyddyn iawn yn y flwyddyn DU mae cyfartaledd o 370,000 o blant angen triniaeth yn yr Adran Argyfwng oherwydd damwain yn y cartref, ac mae cyfartaledd o 55 o blant dan bump oed yn marw bob tro. flwyddyn oherwydd anaf anfwriadol.
Pan fydd babi yn dechrau cropian, gall daro ei ben ar ddodrefn neu wrthrychau eraill ac wrth ddechrau cerdded efallai y bydd yn simsan ac yn cwympo.
Y rhan fwyaf o'r amser bydd yr anaf yn fach ac efallai na fyddant hyd yn oed yn crio, ond weithiau gall ergyd ar y pen fod yn fwy difrifol. Os ydych chi'n meddwl bod gan eich babi fân anaf i'r pen, rhowch ef ar eich glin a daliwch rywbeth oer yn erbyn yr anaf i helpu i leihau'r chwydd, fel pecyn iâ neu fag o lysiau wedi'u rhewi wedi'u lapio mewn lliain sychu llestri.
Tra byddwch yn gwneud hyn ceisiwch asesu lefel ymateb y babi gan ddefnyddio’r raddfa AVPU:
•ALERT – Ydyn nhw'n effro? Ydy eu llygaid ar agor?
• VOICE – A allant ymateb i chi os byddwch yn siarad â nhw?
• PAIN– Ydy'r babi yn ymateb i boen? Os ydych chi'n fflicio gwaelod eu troed, neu'n pinsio llabed eu clust, ydyn nhw'n ymateb i chi trwy symud neu agor eu llygaid?
• UNRESPONSIVE – A ydynt yn anymatebol i bob un o'r uchod? Os nad ydynt yn ymateb neu os ydych yn poeni, ffoniwch 999 neu 112 am gymorth brys.
Os oes ganddynt unrhyw glwyfau, dylech eu trin trwy roi pwysau uniongyrchol ar y clwyf. Daliwch ati i wirio lefel ymateb y babi nes ei fod wedi gwella neu nes bod cymorth meddygol yn cyrraedd.
Os yw eich babi (plentyn o dan flwydd oed) yn tagu, mae ei lwybr anadlu wedi’i rwystro’n rhannol neu’n gyfan gwbl, sy’n golygu efallai na fydd yn gallu anadlu’n iawn. Wrth i chi ddechrau diddyfnu'ch babi a dechrau bwyta bwydydd solet neu chwarae gyda gwrthrychau bach, efallai y bydd mewn perygl o dagu.
Os ydych chi'n meddwl bod y babi'n tagu yna mae angen eich help chi ar unwaith. Os ydyn nhw'n gallu anadlu, yn gwneud synau, neu'n pesychu, yna efallai y byddan nhw'n gallu clirio eu gwddf eu hunain.
• Os na all y babi anadlu, crio, neu beswch, efallai ei fod yn tagu a bydd angen i chi roi pum ergyd yn ôl.
• Rhowch wyneb i lawr y babi ar hyd eich braich a'ch glun, gan wneud yn siŵr eich bod yn cynnal ei ben a'i wddf. Rhowch bum ergyd gefn sydyn rhwng y llafnau ysgwydd â sawdl eich llaw.
• Trowch nhw drosodd ar eich clun a gwiriwch eu ceg. Dewiswch unrhyw rwystrau amlwg y gallwch eu gweld ar flaenau eich bysedd.
• Peidiwch ag ysgubo'r geg gan y gallai hyn wthio'r gwrthrych ymhellach i lawr y gwddf.
• Os na fydd chwythiadau cefn yn clirio rhwystr, rhowch bum gwthiad ar y frest gyda'ch babi yn wynebu i fyny, gan wneud yn siŵr eich bod yn cynnal ei ben a'i wddf. Rhowch ddau fys yng nghanol eu brest ychydig o dan linell y deth a rhowch bum gwthiad miniog ar y frest.
• Gwiriwch eu ceg eto, bob tro y byddwch yn rhoi byrdwn i'r frest.
• Ffoniwch 999 neu 112 am gymorth brys os nad yw'r rhwystr wedi clirio. Ewch â'r babi gyda chi i wneud yr alwad.
• Daliwch i ailadrodd pum ergyd cefn a phum gwthiad i'r frest nes bod help yn cyrraedd, gan wirio eu ceg bob tro.
• Os na fydd y babi'n ymateb ar unrhyw adeg, paratowch i ddechrau CPR.
Am ragor o gyngor cymorth cyntaf ewch i'n gwefan.
Mae gan St John Ambulance Cymru hefyd Gwrs Cymorth Cyntaf Pediatrig penodol sy'n canolbwyntio ar senarios brys a allai wynebu'r rhai sy'n gofalu am blant ifanc a babanod. Mae hyn yn cynnwys pobl sy'n gofalu am blant mewn meithrinfeydd dydd, ysgolion meithrin preifat, cyn-ysgol, clybiau cyn/ar ôl ysgol i blant yn y grŵp oedran blynyddoedd cynnar, gwarchodwyr plant, a gofalwyr plant gartref.
Gallwch ddarganfod mwy am ein hystod eang o gyrsiau cymorth cyntaf yma.
