Infant CPR refers to administering resuscitation to any child under the age of 12 months and is much more effective that the CPR rescue technique in the case of adults. This effectiveness is due to the fact that child’s body is capable of responding to CPR aid immediately after the heart collapses. For this reason, it is absolutely vital the CPR aid is applied in the shortest possible time, even prior to calling the ambulance, because those seconds of resuscitation are very likely to save the infant’s life.

First and foremost, it is very important that you follow the standard steps when administering an infant CPR, because the process must be thorough and accurate. The first thing to be done in infant CPR is a verification of the child’s responsiveness, by patting the infant’s back and feet. This is a very clear test which will tell you whether to start or not the infant CPR procedure. This way, if no response comes from the child, such as crying, stirring or moving, it is vital that you check if the airway is functioning properly. In many cases of heart arrests in infant care, the tongue can obstruct the breathing channels.

The technique of clearing the airway in infant CPR is similar to the standard CPR aid, with the specification that the head must not be tilted too far back, because of the lack of muscular strength of infants’ necks. Furthermore, if no response comes as a result of the airway step in the infant CPR, it is obligatory that you pass to the next stage and increase the level of oxygen by mouth-to-mouth breathing. You do not need any specific CPR supplies at this level, because the main strategy is to cover the mouth and the nose of the infant and try to pass oxygen into his body.

Very importantly, the infant CPR is based on a stimuli-response basis, so you need to let the child breath out the air after your mouth-to-mouth intervention. However, if the infant CPR proceedings taken so far show no response, it is compulsory that the pulse is checked, in order to establish whether the infant’s heart is beating or not. Keep in mind that panic is the worst enemy of the CPR aid, because when applying what you learned in CPR trainings you need to be fully aware and attentive to the physical responses given by the infant.

The step in the infant CPR procedure that implies chest compression is the key factor in infant care, because it is at this stage that the body of the child must respond to the pressure made to his chest. The compressions must be made at exact intervals of time, so that the heart of the infant can enter a certain rhythm. At this point, the infant CPR rescue attempt should have proved in some way effective, meaning that the blood circulation is re-established and the pulse comes back to normal. However, it is imperative that a call is made to the emergency services and the ambulance, to put the child under infant medical care, and to make sure the infant CPR procedure has been fully carried out. Lastly, the infant CPR technique can be learned as an “ABC” of child care; where “A” is standing for airway, “B” for breathing and “C” for circulation. Once you have passed through all of these steps, the little victim will have regained his senses, ready to enjoy life.