Child First Aid Tips: CPR, Choking, Burns, Bleeding, and Emergency Action

    

A child falls.

A child chokes.

A burn happens in the kitchen.

A nose starts bleeding.

A severe allergy begins.

In those moments, parents do not need panic.

They need a simple plan.

These child first aid tips explain what to do first, what not to do, and when to call emergency services.

This guide uses current 2025 and 2026 first aid, CPR, concussion, allergy, burn, and poisoning guidance.

Reading helps.

Hands on training helps more.

Every parent and caregiver should take a certified child and baby CPR and first aid course if possible.

For more safety topics, visit our Child Health and Safety Guide.

For injury prevention and everyday accidents, read our Common Childhood Injuries Guide.

First, check for danger

Before touching an injured child, look around.

Make sure you will not be hurt too.

Watch for:

• Traffic
• Fire
• Electric wires
• Chemicals
• Deep water
• Broken glass
• Violence

If the scene is unsafe, call emergency services.

Do not enter danger unless trained responders tell you it is safe.

Know when to call emergency services

Call your local emergency number right away if a child:

• Cannot breathe
• Is unresponsive
• Is only gasping
• Has a seizure that needs emergency help
• Has severe choking
• Has bleeding you cannot control
• Has a serious burn
• Has a severe allergic reaction
• Has severe poisoning symptoms
• Has a major head injury with danger signs

If you believe the child is in danger, call.

The emergency dispatcher can guide you.

1. Learn child and baby CPR

CPR for children is one of the most important skills a parent can learn.

If a child or baby is unresponsive and is not breathing or is only gasping, call emergency services and start CPR.

Put the child on a firm, flat surface.

Start chest compressions.

The usual compression rate is 100 to 120 each minute.

For a single trained rescuer, CPR is usually done in cycles of 30 compressions and 2 breaths.

What changed for infant CPR in 2025?

The 2025 American Heart Association guidance removed the old two finger method for infant chest compressions.

Current infant chest compression methods use the heel of one hand or a two thumb technique.

This is a major reason to take an updated CPR course.

Technique matters.

Practice on a manikin is much safer than trying to learn for the first time during an emergency.

What about an AED?

AED use in children can save a life during cardiac arrest.

Turn the AED on.

Follow its voice or picture prompts.

Use child pads or a child setting when available and appropriate.

If they are not available, follow the device instructions and emergency dispatcher guidance.

2. Treat choking with the current method

Choking first aid for children changed in the 2025 American Heart Association update.

If a child can cough, speak, or cry strongly, encourage coughing and watch closely.

Do not hit the back of a child who is coughing well.

If the child cannot breathe, speak, or cry normally, the airway may be severely blocked.

For a conscious child older than one year

Give 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades.

Then give 5 abdominal thrusts.

Repeat 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts until the object comes out or the child becomes unresponsive.

Call emergency services.

For a conscious infant younger than one year

Support the infant with the head lower than the body.

Give 5 firm back blows.

Then turn the infant face up and give 5 chest thrusts.

Do not use abdominal thrusts on an infant.

Repeat until the object comes out or the infant becomes unresponsive.

If the child becomes unresponsive

Lower the child to a firm, flat surface.

Begin CPR.

Before breaths, look in the mouth.

Remove an object only if you can clearly see it.

Never do a blind finger sweep.

3. Stop severe bleeding with direct pressure

First aid for severe bleeding starts with pressure.

Call emergency services for blood that is flowing continuously, spurting, or clearly life threatening.

Use gloves if available.

Place clean gauze or cloth over the wound.

Press firmly and steadily.

Keep pressure on the wound until bleeding stops or trained help takes over.

If a trained responder uses a tourniquet for life threatening bleeding from an arm or leg, follow proper training.

Do not use a homemade tourniquet unless emergency professionals direct you and you know how.

What about a small cut?

Wash your hands.

Rinse the cut with clean running water.

Remove visible dirt gently.

Cover with a clean bandage.

Seek care if the wound is deep, gaping, badly contaminated, caused by a serious bite, or will not stop bleeding.

4. Cool burns with clean running water

Burn first aid for children should start quickly.

Move the child away from the heat source.

Cool the burn with clean, cool running water.

Red Cross guidance allows cooling for 5 to 20 minutes, and many first aid programs aim for about 20 minutes when practical.

Do not use ice.

Do not use butter.

Do not use oil.

Do not use toothpaste.

Do not break blisters.

After cooling, cover a minor burn loosely with a clean nonstick dressing.

Which burns need urgent medical care?

Get urgent help for:

• Deep burns
• Large burns
• Burns to the face
• Burns to the hands or feet
• Burns over a joint
• Burns to the genitals
• Electrical burns
• Chemical burns
• Smoke inhalation
• Burns in a very young child when you are concerned

5. Know the danger signs after a head injury

Most bumps are minor.

Some are not.

Head injury first aid for children starts with watching the child closely.

Concussion symptoms may appear right away or later.

Call emergency services or go to an emergency department if the child has:

• Repeated vomiting
• A headache that gets worse and does not go away
• A seizure
• Weakness or numbness
• Slurred speech
• Poor coordination
• Increasing confusion
• One pupil larger than the other
• Double vision
• Increasing drowsiness or trouble waking
• Loss of consciousness

For infants and toddlers, nonstop crying or refusing to nurse or eat after a head injury can also be a danger sign.

A child with a possible concussion should not return to sport on the same day.

For more, read our Common Childhood Injuries Guide.

6. Treat anaphylaxis with epinephrine first

Anaphylaxis in children is a medical emergency.

Signs can include:

• Trouble breathing
• Wheezing
• Throat tightness
• Tongue swelling
• Lip swelling
• Weakness
• Fainting
• Severe vomiting with other allergy signs
• A serious reaction involving more than one body system

If your child has prescribed epinephrine and the symptoms fit the emergency plan, give it right away.

Then call emergency services.

Do not wait for an antihistamine.

Antihistamines do not replace epinephrine in anaphylaxis.

Follow the child's written allergy plan.

For more detail, see our Common Childhood Allergies Guide.

7. Act fast after a poisoning

Poisoning first aid for children depends on the substance.

Do not make the child vomit.

Ipecac is no longer recommended.

Do not give food, milk, or water unless a poison expert or healthcare professional tells you to.

If the child collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or cannot be awakened, call emergency services immediately.

In the United States, Poison Control is available at 1 800 222 1222.

Outside the United States, call your local poison center or emergency service.

Keep the product container or label if it is safe to do so.

8. Protect a possible broken bone

First aid for a broken bone is about keeping the injured area still.

Do not try to straighten the limb.

Do not force a joint back into place.

Support the injured area in the position you found it.

Use a wrapped cold pack for swelling if appropriate.

Get medical care.

Call emergency services for a severe deformity, major bleeding, loss of feeling, a pale or blue limb, or a serious injury.

9. Know what to do during a seizure

Seizure first aid for children is simple.

Stay with the child.

Move hard or sharp objects away.

Protect the head with something soft if you can.

Do not hold the child down.

Do not put anything in the mouth.

Do not give food or drink during the seizure.

Time the seizure.

When the shaking stops, place the child on the side if they are breathing and it is safe to move them.

When should I call emergency services for a seizure?

Call emergency services if:

• The seizure lasts about 5 minutes or longer
• Another seizure starts soon after
• The child has trouble breathing
• The child is injured
• The seizure happens in water
• It is the child's first seizure and you are unsure what is happening
• The child does not recover as expected

10. Stop a nosebleed the right way

Nosebleed first aid for children is often simple.

Sit the child up.

Lean the child slightly forward.

Pinch the soft part of the nose.

Keep steady pressure for 10 to 15 minutes without checking every few seconds.

Do not tilt the head back.

Blood running down the throat can cause coughing, nausea, or vomiting.

Get medical advice if bleeding is heavy, follows a serious injury, or does not stop after repeated firm pressure.

11. Know what to do with a knocked out tooth

A knocked out permanent tooth is a dental emergency.

Hold it by the crown, not the root.

If dirty, rinse it gently.

Do not scrub it.

For an older child with a permanent tooth, urgent dental guidance may include placing the tooth back in the socket if you know how and it is safe, or keeping it moist while going to emergency dental care.

A knocked out baby tooth should not be put back into the socket.

Call a dentist right away.

12. Build a first aid kit that is useful

A child first aid kit should be simple and easy to find.

Useful items include:

• Disposable gloves
• Sterile gauze
• Adhesive bandages
• Medical tape
• Nonstick dressings
• Elastic bandage
• Cold pack
• Digital thermometer
• Tweezers
• Saline
• CPR face shield if you are trained to use one
• Emergency phone numbers
• Your child's allergy action plan if needed
• Prescribed emergency medicine if needed

Check the kit every few months.

Replace used or expired items.

Keep medicines locked away from young children.

What should not be in a basic first aid plan?

Avoid old or unsafe habits.

Do not:

• Put butter or toothpaste on burns
• Use ice directly on a burn
• Make a poisoned child vomit
• Do a blind finger sweep during choking
• Put anything in a child's mouth during a seizure
• Force a broken bone straight
• Delay epinephrine during anaphylaxis
• Send a child back to sport the same day after a possible concussion

How can children learn first aid too?

Children can learn simple safety skills.

Teach them:

• Their full name
• Their home address when age appropriate
• A parent phone number
• How to call emergency services
• How to tell an adult when someone cannot breathe
• How to get help instead of hiding an injury

Older children can learn CPR and AED use in a certified class.

The 2025 American Heart Association guidance notes that children around age 12 and older can learn effective CPR and defibrillation skills.

Why a first aid course matters

Reading is useful.

Practice builds confidence.

A good course lets you practice:

• CPR
• AED use
• Infant choking
• Child choking
• Bleeding control
• Burn care
• Emergency assessment

Choose a recognized child and baby first aid course in your country.

Refresh your training when guidance changes.

My parenting perspective

After more than 33 years of parenting and grandparenting, I have learned that emergencies feel less chaotic when the first step is already clear.

I do not try to remember twenty things at once.

I ask simple questions.

Is the place safe?

Is the child awake?

Is the child breathing?

Is there severe bleeding?

Do I need emergency help now?

That simple order keeps attention on the biggest danger first.

I have also learned that old first aid advice changes.

Choking guidance changed in 2025.

CPR technique changed too.

That is why parents should refresh training instead of relying on something learned many years ago.

My family experience shapes the practical side of this guide.

The emergency guidance comes from current CPR, pediatric, first aid, concussion, allergy, and poison control sources.

Conclusion

Child first aid tips are most useful when they are simple, current, and practiced before an emergency happens.

Learn CPR.

Learn the current choking method.

Use direct pressure for severe bleeding.

Cool burns with running water.

Know concussion danger signs.

Give epinephrine first for anaphylaxis.

Never make a poisoned child vomit.

And call emergency services whenever a child is in serious danger.

Save this guide, share it with caregivers, and book a certified child and baby first aid course for your family.

Keep Reading on Parnthub

• Child Health and Safety Guide
• Common Childhood Injuries
• Child Injury Prevention
• Child Safety Tips
• Common Childhood Allergies
• Common Childhood Food Allergies
• Complete Big Kids Guide

References and Sources

1. American Heart Association: 2025 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care
2. American Red Cross: Child and Baby First Aid
3. American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren: Anaphylaxis in Infants and Children
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Concussion Signs and Danger Signs
5. Poison Control: First Aid for Poisoning

Frequently Asked Questions About Child First Aid

What should I do first in a child emergency?

Make sure the scene is safe. Check whether the child is responsive and breathing. Call emergency services for severe breathing trouble, unresponsiveness, severe choking, life threatening bleeding, a serious burn, seizure, severe allergy, poisoning, or another life threatening problem.

What is the current choking method for a child?

For a conscious child older than one year with severe choking, current 2025 guidance uses 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts. Repeat until the object comes out or the child becomes unresponsive.

What is the current choking method for a baby?

For a conscious infant younger than one year with severe choking, give 5 back blows followed by 5 chest thrusts. Do not use abdominal thrusts on an infant.

What should I put on a child's burn?

Cool the burn with clean, cool running water. Do not use ice, butter, oil, toothpaste, or other home remedies. Cover a minor burn loosely with a clean nonstick dressing after cooling.

What should I do for severe bleeding?

Call emergency services and apply firm, steady direct pressure over the wound with clean gauze or cloth. Keep pressure on until bleeding stops or trained help takes over.

What should I do if my child has anaphylaxis?

Give prescribed epinephrine immediately when symptoms fit the child's emergency plan, then call emergency services. Do not delay epinephrine while waiting for an antihistamine to work.

Should I make my child vomit after poisoning?

No. Do not induce vomiting. Call Poison Control or your local poison center for specific instructions. Call emergency services immediately if the child collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or cannot be awakened.

What head injury signs need emergency care?

Emergency danger signs include repeated vomiting, a worsening headache, seizure, weakness, slurred speech, poor coordination, increasing confusion, unequal pupils, double vision, severe drowsiness, or trouble waking.