Do your children know first aid?

[ParamedicPrepper]

Has anyone taught their children first aid if so what age? Or do schools teach it?

I wish children were shown how to look after themselves and others in emergencies and would love to get this into schools compulsory
Your thoughts?

[Zunzuncito]

This is a subject close to my heart. Generally schools do not teach children first aid as it is not a mandatory part of the curriculum. However, quite a few schools will chose to do it and have people like British Red Cross or St John Ambulance and the like come in to do a course.

There has been pressure from several first aid groups/organisations for sometime to get first aid added to the curriculum but as of yet it isn't. There are a couple of petitions about this that are on going.

Quite a lot of organisations will provide first aid training at schools for a reasonable price, if not for free and there are lots of free resources available for schools to use from the likes of SJA etc - however, it's down to whether the individual schools want to make it a priority I'm afraid.

[gamekeeper752]

hi
I used to teach first aid in the police before it was farmed out to civvies and was very well trained by the Army before that, i have taught my son up to a suitable level starting from age 5 when i first taught him the recovery position.
as he got older i taught him more skills.
i believe first aid should be taught in school from 8 upwards
just my thoughts

[Lanky Yankee]

In Bedfordshire we are starting to go to middle and upper schools and doing a train the trainers work shop. We are also going to schools with our ambulance and let the kids have a look around. It's an easy way to get the message across.

[preparedsurrey]

Yes the kids did it in beevers and again in cubs and in brownies they also did it again in an optional lunchtime club at primary school.
They have got the basics.

[Jamesey1981]

I don't have any kids, and my cats and lizard don't seem to want to concentrate when I try and teach them anything, even when I try and give them detention they just go to sleep and I don't think the full force of the punishment is reaching them, I'll keep trying though.

I do think first aid should be taught in ALL schools though, I learned the basics when I was in the Cubs many years ago, then the scouts and the army cadets taught me more advanced stuff, and I can say that apart from anything else, having been taught basic first aid meant that I didn't freak out too much when I injured myself, (I did that a lot when I was a kid/teenager) so aside from being able to help others it made me a bit more comfortable with minor injuries and improved my outlook on life too, I don't mean it made me reckless, but it did mean that I had the confidence to go out and be a kid without worrying about hurting myself.

[Zunzuncito]

Preparedsurrey is right, Brownies, Guides and Scouts etc pretty much all teach some element of first aid which is fabulous.

Even if all you teach your kids is to call 999 (or 112) and if possible to put someone in the recovery position (i.e. on their side) and to try and keep their head titlted back to their airway is open this very much could help save someones life - if their your kids, it could be your life. Scary statistic: it's estimated that around 2,500 people die each year from a blocked airway - totally unnecesary as it's so easy to treat

Other really easy things to teach are how to deal with choking and tell them if anyone has allergies and has to take medicine (i.e. inhalers or epi pens)

The brilliant thing with kids is that they learn things much easier than adults, are better at retaining info, don't have 'the fear' adults have and if you teach them as kids first aid is a life skill that they will most likely remember (at least some of it) for life.

[Deeps]

I think its a great idea getting it taught from a young age, I was taught it in the cadets etc but due to the arrogance of youth never really paid attention, making it something that's taught from an early age will make it a 'basic skill' that we all take as a given. It wasn't until I was all growded up (early 20's probably) that I started to clutch in and look at it as a worthwhile skill instead of just paying lip service to it.

The only reason I can conceive of not to teach it is time, as in trying to fit another subject in but I'm clutching there, a half hour session a week from about primary 3 onwards will make it a much more 'normal' subject, you could even teach younger kids about plasters and (as said) the recovery position etc. I think as a nation we're missing a trick here.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Bet kids will retain the training better than most adults who have done the 3 day first aid at work on the 2 day requalification course the amount us 4 had forgotten was quiet surprising... I wasn't too bad as I've done annual half day refreshers but those who haven't floundered a bit can see why QA advise it

Oh and three on the course today were teachers who all appeared nervous taking loads of notes all day then not looking happy in the exam room. Revenge for the exams they made us all sit as kids

Would need a lot more training for the teachers to teach it in a classroom to kids

[Deeps]

Bet kids will retain the training better than most adults who have done the 3 day first aid at work on the 2 day requalification course the amount us 4 had forgotten was quiet surprising... I wasn't too bad as I've done annual half day refreshers but those who haven't floundered a bit can see why QA advise it

Oh and three on the course today were teachers who all appeared nervous taking loads of notes all day then not looking happy in the exam room. Revenge for the exams they made us all sit as kids

Would need a lot more training for the teachers to teach it in a classroom to kids

A full time first aid instructor could cover a lot of schools in an area, it wouldn't necessarily have to be a teacher.