First Aid Basics for the Playground and Beyond!

Knowing first aid prepares children to respond fast and appropriately in medical situations and emergencies. First aid generally focuses on CPR, bleeding, shock, burns, eyes and nose injuries, animal and insect bites, fractures, sprains, strains and dislocations, poisoning, seizures, swing set injuries and illnesses caused by exposure to extreme temperatures. By knowing what to do in a variety of situations, you can empower your child to make a confident and prepared response. Learn more about first aid from the resources below.

CPR

Hands-Only CPR: The American Heart Association outlines facts about hands-only CPR.
First Aid: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): Read some tips on how to check someone before starting CPR and how to perform CPR on adults and babies.
CPR Illustrated in Three Simple Steps: Here you'll find three simple steps for checking the victim for unresponsiveness and performing CPR.
First Aid and Safety: CPR: This guide to CPR discusses how to approach someone in need of emergency treatment and the three basic parts of CPR.
Chest-Compression-Only CPR Video: Watch the video to learn how to perform chest compressions.
New CPR Guidelines: Chest Compressions First: This article that states new CPR guidelines which feature compressions first, then airway and breathing (C-A-B).

Bleeding

Bleeding: Read these instructions on how to apply first aid to bleeding wounds in many different situations.
First Aid: Bleeding: How should you deal with someone who is bleeding, how can you tell if the bleeding is serious, and what should you do in a bleeding emergency?
Bleeding Care: This guide includes information regarding external and internal bleeding, the symptoms associated with internal bleeding, and where to get help.
Nosebleeds: Learn about what causes nosebleeds, how to stop a nosebleed, and how to prevent further nosebleeds from occurring.
First Aid for Bleeding Gums: This first aid information outlines the issues around bleeding gums and how to treat your gums when they bleed.

Shock

Shock: The National Institutes of Health provides information on the causes, symptoms, prevention, and treatment of shock.
Check and Treat for Shock: Learn how to check and treat shock, the signs and symptoms associated with shock, and first aid tips.
What to Do in a Medical Emergency: Shock: These are tips on what to do in an emergency situation when the patient is in shock.
Shock Signs and Symptoms: This article introduces some of the basic concepts behind shock.

Burns

First Aid for Burns: There are different types of burns and each type requires different first aid tips.
Types of Burns: Learn the difference between first-degree, second-degree and third-degree burns, and what treatments are available.
Hot Tips: First Aid for Burns: Remember these safety and prevention tips when helping someone who has been burned.
Treatment for Minor Burns: This article discusses treatment options when suffering from a minor burn.
First Aid: Burns: Learn what causes burns, how long burns take to heal, and other critical information.

Eye and Nose Injuries

First Aid Tips for Eye Injuries: Memorize these first aid tips for dealing with specks in the eye, cuts, foreign objects and punctures, as well as blows to the eye or chemical burns.
First Aid for Eyes: This article discusses treatments for bleeding of the eye, chemical exposure in the eye, and foreign objects in the eye.
Eye Injuries: First Aid: Causes, signs and symptoms, treatment, and prevention of common eye injuries are found here.
Nasal Injuries: Watch out for these complications associated with various nasal injuries.
Cuts and Wounds of the Nose: For superficial cuts and wounds on the nose, use these techniques.
Nose Injuries: Learn about the seriousness of a nose injury, complications that can arise from a broken nose, and treatment for various nose injuries.

Animal/Insect Bites

Dog Bites: This article provides information about performing first aid on a dog bite, and when you should see a doctor without delay.
Guide to Animal and Insect Hazards: Learning how to care for an injured or ill person is a critical skill for both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to learn at a young age.
Rabies: Animal Bites: Use this step-by-step guide to treat an animal bite if it has broken the skin to prevent infection and rabies.
Insect Bites and Stings: Tips and Remedies: Watch out for these common insect bites and stings.
How Do You Treat Chigger Bites? Boy's Life, the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America, offers an article on treating chigger bites.
First Aid for Bee and Insect Stings: Read about how to reduce the risk of being stung and what to do if you are stung by a bee or other stinging insect.

Fractures, Sprains, Strains, and Dislocations

First Aid: Sprains and Fractures: When dealing with a bad sprain or fracture, follow these steps.
Broken Bones: The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide gives immediate care tips for when a broken bone is suspected.
First Aid for a Broken Bone: Read these tips and watch this video to learn more about what to do.
First Aid for Strains or Sprains: Memorize the RICE acronym when performing treatment: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
Sprains, Strains, and Other Soft-Tissue Injuries: Sometimes bones may be largely uninjured, but someone may still be in pain.
First Aid for Fractures and Dislocations: These are the signs, symptoms and tips for managing a fracture or dislocation.

Poisoning

First Steps in a Poisoning Emergency: Get answers to important questions regarding the first steps in a poisoning emergency.
Anaphylaxis: Tips to Remember: Anaphylaxis is fundamentally different from poisoning, but can look similar: keep this possibility in mind.
First Aid: Poison: This is first aid advice that gives instructions on what to do if poison is swallowed, inhaled, on the skin or in the eyes.
Poison Prevention : First Aid for Poisoning: Read this fact sheet that provides prevention tips and first aid information for poisoning.
First Aid for Poisoning: Some of the best things to do is to keep calm and use these tips.

Seizures

What Should I Do If I Have a Seizure? Watch this video and take this advice on what you should do if you or someone else has a seizure.
First Aid for Seizures: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives first aid tips for dealing with seizures.
10 Steps When Someone Has a Convulsive Seizure: Follow these 10 first aid steps if someone is having a convulsive seizure.
What to Do When Someone Has a Seizure: Watch this video and learn about what to do.

Extreme Temperature Emergencies (Hot and Cold)

First Aid for Temperature Extremes: Follow this first aid advice when extreme temperatures are involved.
Cold Environments: Learn about the health effects relating to extreme cold and first aid for 'freezing' injuries like hypothermia.
Extreme Heat: Follow federal tips on what to do before being exposed to extreme heat and while the weather is extremely hot.
Frostbite and Hypothermia: This article discusses frost bite and hypothermia and the health effects of extreme cold.

Find more about the author: Kim Hart