Child CPR
According to the American Heart Association's guidelines Child CPR is administered to any victim under the age of 8. Although some of the material in the next lesson may seem repetitive, we strongly recommend that you do not skip ahead as there are crucial distinctions that apply to children's rescue efforts.
The first thing to remember about Child CPR is this: in children cardiac arrest is rarely caused by heart failure but rather by an injury such as poisoning, smoke inhalation, or head trauma, which causes the breathing to stop first. And since children are more resilient than adults statistics have shown that they tend to respond to CPR much better if administered as soon as possible.
If the child is unresponsive and you are alone with him, start rescue efforts immediately and perform CPR for at least 1 to 2 minutes before dialing Ambulance at 1-1-2. Before you call an ambulance, immediately check the victim for responsiveness by gently shaking the child and shouting, "Are you okay?" DO NOT shake the child if you suspect he may have suffered a spinal injury.
If the child is clearly unconscious, remember your A-B-C and check the child's Airway
