Before I had my daughter, I used to laugh when my Mum friends would say they'd watch their baby breathing at night in case they suddenly stopped. I'd read about awful burns on toddlers from pouring cups of tea over themselves and I'd think to myself I'll never be that irresponsible.
Then I became a Mum.
I watched Callie breathing as she slept soundly right next to me where I could hear, see and feel her. When she started weaning, I sat on my hands to stop myself freaking out at every cough, splutter and projectile carrot stick. I can't even carry a knife from one side of the kitchen to the other without doing some sort of ritualistic covering of the sharp bit and tip-toe across for fear of going anywhere near my precious little bundle of stinky joy with it.
Being a parent makes you a crazy person.
I'd definitely fall into the category of helicopter parent at the park - but that's just me. It's not worth the risk, no matter how small, which is why I knew it was a priority to learn a bit more about what to do if I found myself in one of those dreaded situations.
I have been first aid trained for about 13 years - since I started working in an ice rink aged 18. I haven't ever gone more than a year without refreshing my knowledge, which is really important because as I quickly learnt, things change. Guidelines change. Advice changes. We learn better so we should do better - something I think is important in all aspects of parenting!
But, as you'll all know, life is hectic as a new parent and your expectations of all the things you'll achieve suddenly seem to evaporate as you find yourself taking longer to do things that were once much easier (e.g. leaving the house - anyone with me?!). Before I knew it, Callie was 2 and I still hadn't put myself on a course...and with the terrible two's come a whole lot of new adventures - sticking jelly beans up our nose and 'Mummy, I'm climbing!' amongst other things. Parenting just got turned up a notch and I realised how important it was to feel prepared for every eventuality, for her safety.
I was at visiting Mothercare in Torquay for their Expectant Parent Event one weekend where I was representing Water Babies when I met the lovely Liz from Mini First Aid. We got chatting, as all of us in the baby business tend to do, and after listening to the talk she gave to the 100+ expectant parents in attendance, I just knew that this was the course I needed to go on.
So a few months later there I was, driving up to Paignton with my other half to learn more about toddler first aid. The course was amazing, and we both walked away feeling so prepared. Mini First Aid offer classes at specific venues or, if there are a few of you, they come to your home for private classes. We joined a public class which was lovely as we got to meet lots of other parents all with different first aid related experiences to share!
The course lasted for 2 hours and only cost £20 each which was really what sold it to me. Kids are expensive enough, but even if this had been twice the cost, I'd have walked away feeling like I got value for money - can you put a price on your child's safety?!
The 2-hour baby and child first aid class covered CPR, choking, bumps, burns, breaks, bleeding, febrile seizures and meningitis. Mini First Aid are also in partnership with the Meningitis Research Foundation which allows for their classes to contain up-to-date meningitis information based on the most recent research. We talked about foods that are dangerous for toddlers - I never realised popcorn wasn't suitable for under 4's, even though some companies make 'kids popcorn' aimed at little ones!
Having done first aid for a long time, I'm that person that cringes as soon as the CPR doll comes out, thinking God, I don't want to be put on the spot in front of everyone, but the entire course was so laid-back and Liz was a wonderful first aider making everyone feel so comfortable, that we had a really good time getting hands on (for those who wanted a go) and putting our knowledge into practice.
I can't thank Liz enough for the course and I will absolutely recommend it to everyone - not just new or expectant parents but to Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles, babysitters, people who work with children, and anyone who has any responsibility for spending time around little ones.
The most beneficial course I have been on since having my daughter. What better gift to give to her than a parent who is prepared for any situation.
xo
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