Child and infant CPR – 5 reasons why you should learn it

July 19, 2019April 11, 20223min read

Anyone who is caring for your child on a regular basis should learn CPR. This includes parents, grandparents, nannies, older siblings, etc.! Learn the top 5 reasons why you should learn infant and child CPR in this blog post.

What is CPR?

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In non-medical terms, this means “aiding the heart and the lungs”. If a baby needs CPR, their heart and lungs have stopped working or they are not working properly.

A little anatomy lesson:

Remember this from freshman year biology? The heart is an organ that pumps blood through your body. Blood carries oxygen to cells throughout your body, specifically, to the brain!

Oxygen keeps cells alive – without oxygen our cells (most importantly, our brian cells) will die.

You breathe in oxygen from your lungs, which is absorbed by the blood, and carried to your brain by your beating heart.

When your heart and lungs stop working and CPR is needed, oxygen is NOT being delivered to the brain, which means brain cells will die soon. CPR delivers that oxygen to baby’s brain when baby can’t deliver it themselves, saving lives + saving brain cells!

Why is CPR important?

Without oxygen, our brain cells cannot live. Effective CPR will keep brain cells alive during cardiac arrest (sudden stopping of the heart) and help increase the chances of baby’s brain functioning normally post CPR.

Who should learn CPR?

Anyone who is caring for your child on a regular basis should learn CPR. This includes parents, grandparents, nannies, older siblings, etc!

Why can’t I just watch a video online?

Hands on skills are crucial to learning effective CPR. The muscle memory of hands-on practice will improve the effectiveness of CPR dramatically. Experiencing the way compressions feel, how hard and past you need to push, effective chest rise while providing breaths, + much more, are skills you cannot learn online.

What do I do if my baby is choking?

Choking CPR is included in this course. We will discuss when to use choking CPR vs. regular CPR and practice choking skills on a manikin.

Where can I learn hands-on CPR?

If you’re in Chicago, schedule a private in-home session with us today! We will help you learn CPR! Otherwise, check with your local hospital or fire station.

Book an in-home infant + child CPR session with us today! Click here to book now. (Chicagoland residents only)

*great for nannies, babysitters + grandparents!

in-home CPR and choking skills practiced on a mannequin
up to 6 people per session
inside or outside (weather permitting)

Already taken an in-person CPR class?
I have a GREAT online refresher course through TinyHood. This refreshed course is meant for those who have already taken an in-person class and want to brush up on their skills visually.

For the CPR + choking online course for infants and kids (0-12 years), click here (use code BUMBLE15)

Other helpful posts:

**This post is educational and not meant to take the place of your provider. Bumblebaby makes a small commission on some of the items listed above

Kate Arquilla

Kate is the mama of 3 kids under five years + uses this and her experience as a NICU nurse to bring parents realistic advice. Kate created a team of four supportive and empowering mothers to help run Bumble Baby! Together we blend our expertise and offer services on topics ranging from infant feeding to maternal mental health. Welcome to our cozy corner of the internet!