Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for infants (birth to 1 year) and children (1 to 8 years) is similar to that for adults, but there are a few important differences. They are ad follows:
Airway
Be careful when handling an infant. Don’t tilt the head back too far. An infant’s neck bends so easily that if the head is tilted back too far, the breathing passages may be blocked instead of opened.
Breathing
If an infant isn’t breathing, don’t try to pinch the nose shut. Cover both the mouth and nose with your mouth and breathe slowly (1.0 to 1.5 seconds per breath). Use enough volume and pressure to make the chest rise. With a small child, pinch the nose, cover the mouth, and breathe the same as for an infant.
Circulation
Check pulse. In an infant, check for a pulse by feeling on the inside of the upper arm midway between the elbow and the shoulder. Check for the pulse in a small child the same way you would in an adult.
Assessment and Activation
If you don’t get a response from an infant or child, send someone to call your local emergency medical service and begin CPR. If you’re alone, do one minute of CPR before leaving to call for help. Return to the victim and continue CPR until help (EMS) arrives.
Chest compressions. In infants and small children, use only one hand for compression. You can slip your other hand under the back of an infant to give firm support.
For infants, use only the tips of the middle and ring fingers to compress the chest at the sternum. A summary of information is given in the table below. Depress the sternum between 1/2 to 1 inch at a rate of at least 100 times a minute.
For small children, use only the heel of one hand (see table for position). Depress the sternum between 1 and 1 1/2 inches, depending on the child’s size. The rate should be 80 to 100 times a minute.
In the case of both infants and small children, give breaths during a pause after every fifth chest compression. CPR for children over 8 years old is the same as for adults.
CPR for Children
| AGE | PART OF HAND | HAND POSITION | DEPRESS STERNUM | RATE OF COMPRESSION |
| Infant (birth to 1 year) | Tips of middle and ring fingers | One finger's width below line between nipples (be sure not to depress the tip of the sternum) | 1/2 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) | 5 compressions to 1 full breath; at least 100 compressions per minute. |
| Child (1 to 8 years) | Heel of hand | Sternum (same as adults) | 1 to 1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) | 5 compressions to 1 full breath; 80 to 100 compressions per minute |
Remember
Airway: Is the victim unresponsive? If so, shout for help, position the child, and open the airway.
Breathing: Check for breathing. If there’s no breathing, give 2 full breaths. Look for chest rise, listen for sounds of breathing, feel for breath on your cheek
Circulation: If the victim still isn’t breathing, attempt to check the carotid pulse for a few seconds. If there’s no pulse or you can’t locate the pulse and the child is still unresponsive, begin 1 minute of CPR. Then leave to activate the local EMS system or send someone else to activate the local emergency number while you perform CPR. Continue to do CPR until help (EMS) arrives.
Alternate compressions and rescue breathing at the proper ratio.
- For adults and children over 8 years old the ratio is 15 compressions to 2 full breaths at a rate of 80 to 100
compressions per minute. - For children 1 to 8 years old the proper ratio is 5 compressions to 1 full breath at a rate of 80 to 100 compressions
per minute. - For infants the proper ratio is 5 compressions to 1 full breath at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute.
Waiting for Help
If an individual doesn’t regain consciousness, keep CPR going for at least an hour
whether it’s a child or an adult. In a group, take turns. Don’t stop until medical help
arrives.
Child CPR Demo Video
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