What Is Paediatric First Aid

If you work with babies or children, understanding what is paediatric first aid and how it differs from general adult first aid is important.

Paediatric first aid focuses on recognising and responding to illnesses and injuries affecting babies and children. It includes potentially life-saving skills such as infant and child CPR, responding to choking, serious bleeding and anaphylaxis, alongside the management of common childhood illnesses and injuries.

For people working within childcare and early years settings, paediatric first aid training can also form an important part of meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

However, paediatric first aid is not only for nursery practitioners and childminders.

Parents, grandparents, teachers, sports coaches, activity providers and anyone responsible for children can benefit from knowing what to do when a child becomes seriously ill or injured.

This guide explains what paediatric first aid is, what training covers, the different courses available and how to decide which type of training you need.

What Is Paediatric First Aid?

Paediatric first aid is first aid specifically focused on babies and children.

It teaches someone how to recognise an emergency, provide appropriate immediate care and get further medical help when required.

The principles of first aid remain similar to those used with adults. You still need to assess the situation, identify life-threatening problems, call for appropriate help and provide care until professional assistance arrives.

However, babies and children are not simply smaller adults.

Their:

• anatomy
• physiology
• size
• development
• communication
• patterns of illness and injury

can affect how an emergency presents and how first aid should be provided.

This is particularly important during resuscitation.

Infant and child CPR differs in several ways from adult CPR, which is why practical paediatric training is so valuable.

What Is Paediatric First Aid Designed to Achieve?

The aim of paediatric first aid is not to turn someone into a healthcare professional.

It is to give them the knowledge and practical skills to provide immediate first aid during the period before professional medical help takes over.

Depending on the situation, this could mean:

• recognising that a child is seriously ill
• calling 999
• performing CPR
• using an AED
• clearing a choking obstruction
• controlling serious bleeding
• placing an unconscious breathing casualty in an appropriate position
• helping someone experiencing anaphylaxis
• managing a burn
• supporting an injured child
• monitoring their condition
• providing reassurance

Sometimes first aid involves life-saving intervention.

At other times, it involves recognising that an injury or illness needs further medical assessment and preventing the situation from becoming worse.

What Is the Difference Between Paediatric First Aid and Adult First Aid?

There is considerable overlap between adult and paediatric first aid, but there are also important differences.

One of the clearest examples is CPR.

Current paediatric basic life support places particular importance on rescue breaths because cardiac arrest in children is more commonly associated with breathing and oxygenation problems than primary cardiac causes.

Someone trained in paediatric first aid learns and practises the appropriate techniques for infants and children.

Differences also exist when responding to choking.

An infant cannot be treated in exactly the same way as an older child or adult.

Other areas of paediatric training consider conditions particularly relevant to babies and children, including:

• febrile convulsions
• croup
• meningitis
• childhood illness
• paediatric anaphylaxis
• asthma
• head injuries
• poisoning

Our guide to whether paediatric first aid covers adults explains this distinction in more detail.

What Does Paediatric First Aid Cover?

The exact content depends on the course being completed.

A comprehensive Paediatric First Aid course can cover subjects including:

• assessing an emergency
• primary survey
• unresponsive babies and children
• infant CPR
• child CPR
• use of an AED
• infant choking
• child choking
• shock
• serious bleeding
• wound management
• anaphylaxis
• asthma
• diabetes
• seizures
• febrile convulsions
• meningitis
• sepsis
• poisoning
• burns and scalds
• fractures
• head injuries
• spinal injuries
• minor injuries

Practical training is particularly important for skills such as CPR, choking, AED use and managing serious bleeding.

We have a separate guide explaining what paediatric first aid training covers in considerably more detail.

What Is Paediatric First Aid for Babies?

Paediatric first aid includes specific techniques for infants.

For first aid purposes, an infant or baby is generally considered to be a child under one year of age.

Training can include:

• assessing an unresponsive baby
• opening the airway
• checking breathing
• infant CPR
• rescue breaths
• responding to infant choking
• serious bleeding
• burns and scalds
• seizures and febrile convulsions
• anaphylaxis
• illness and injury

CPR on an infant requires different techniques from those used with an adult.

The response to choking is also different.

This is one reason practical training with appropriate infant manikins is an important part of a good paediatric first aid course.

What Is Paediatric First Aid for Children?

As children grow, the techniques used during an emergency change.

Training teaches learners to adapt their response appropriately to the child’s age and size.

For example, paediatric CPR considers:

• compression technique
• compression depth
• rescue breaths
• compression-to-ventilation ratios
• how and when emergency help is summoned
• AED use

The course also prepares learners for emergencies and injuries that may occur at home, school, nursery, during sport or in other environments where children spend time.

Our guide to what age paediatric first aid covers looks at the age ranges and the transition between paediatric and adult first aid in more detail.

Can You Use an AED on a Child or Baby?

Yes.

An Automated External Defibrillator can be used on a child or baby in cardiac arrest.

Where available, paediatric functionality should be used for infants and smaller children. Depending on the AED, this could involve:

• paediatric electrode pads
• a child key
• a child button
• a switch
• a paediatric operating mode

If an AED is the only defibrillator available, defibrillation should not be delayed simply because paediatric functionality is unavailable.

Our guide to using an AED on a child or baby explains this in more detail.

What Is Paediatric First Aid Training?

Paediatric first aid training combines knowledge with practical skills.

Rather than simply reading what to do, learners have an opportunity to practise emergency responses in a controlled training environment.

Depending on the course, practical sessions may include:

• infant CPR
• child CPR
• AED use
• infant choking
• child choking
• recovery positions
• serious bleeding
• anaphylaxis
• injury management

At First Aid and Safety Training, our regulated paediatric first aid qualifications are delivered through Qualsafe Awards, an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation.

This provides a structured qualification rather than simply a certificate of attendance from an unregulated course.

What Types of Paediatric First Aid Courses Are Available?

Not every paediatric first aid course is the same.

Two of the main regulated options are:

Emergency Paediatric First Aid

Emergency Paediatric First Aid is the shorter qualification.

It focuses on the immediate management of serious paediatric emergencies.

It may be suitable for people who require a basic regulated paediatric first aid qualification or organisations where the shorter qualification meets their identified requirements.

Our guide to Emergency Paediatric First Aid explains the course in more detail.

Paediatric First Aid

The full Paediatric First Aid qualification provides broader coverage.

It includes emergency life-saving skills alongside a wider range of childhood illnesses, injuries and conditions.

For people working within early years childcare, this is particularly important because the course may need to satisfy EYFS requirements.

Our guide to the different types of paediatric first aid training can help you compare the options.

What Is Blended Paediatric First Aid?

Blended learning combines online study with face-to-face practical training.

Our current Qualsafe Awards Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid blended course consists of:

• 6 hours of e-learning
• one face-to-face practical training day

The online element covers the required underpinning knowledge.

The face-to-face day then concentrates on practical skills, including infant and child CPR, AED use, choking, unconscious casualties, bleeding, anaphylaxis and injury management, alongside the required assessment.

This is not the same as completing an entire paediatric first aid qualification online.

The practical element still needs to be completed face to face.

Our guide to blended paediatric first aid training explains how the format works.

Can You Do Paediatric First Aid Online?

You can complete part of some paediatric first aid courses online through an approved blended-learning programme.

However, practical first aid skills cannot be properly assessed through online learning alone.

CPR, choking and other practical skills need physical practice and assessment.

This distinction is particularly important when someone needs a regulated qualification or training that meets an employer’s or childcare setting’s requirements.

Before purchasing an online-only course, check exactly what qualification or certificate you will receive and whether it meets the requirement for which you need it.

Read our guide to whether you can do paediatric first aid online before choosing a course.

Who Needs Paediatric First Aid Training?

Paediatric first aid training can be relevant to anyone responsible for babies or children.

This includes:

• nursery practitioners
• childminders
• preschool staff
• early years practitioners
• teachers and teaching assistants
• school staff
• sports coaches
• children’s activity providers
• holiday club staff
• youth workers
• parents
• grandparents
• foster carers
• babysitters

The exact course required depends on why the training is needed.

Someone completing training because of an employment, regulatory or EYFS requirement should make sure the qualification they choose satisfies that requirement.

Someone attending for personal confidence may have greater flexibility in the course they select.

What Is Paediatric First Aid Under the EYFS?

The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework sets requirements relating to paediatric first aid within early years provision in England.

These requirements affect organisations such as nurseries, preschools and childminders.

The precise requirements depend on the setting and circumstances, so early years providers should refer to the current statutory framework rather than relying on old training information online.

You can read the current Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework on GOV.UK.

We also provide information about first aid training for childcare professionals and other learners who require a regulated qualification.

Do Parents Need Paediatric First Aid?

There is no general legal requirement for a parent to hold a paediatric first aid qualification.

However, many parents choose to learn first aid because emergencies can happen at home as easily as they can in a nursery or school.

Knowing how to respond to:

• choking
• unconsciousness
• breathing problems
• cardiac arrest
• serious bleeding
• burns
• anaphylaxis
• seizures

can provide valuable confidence.

The appropriate training for a parent does not necessarily have to be the same regulated qualification required by someone working professionally within early years childcare.

The important question is what the learner wants or needs the training to achieve.

Why Is Practical Paediatric First Aid Training Important?

Reading first aid information is useful.

Actually performing CPR on an infant manikin is very different.

Practical training gives learners an opportunity to develop physical skills and become familiar with the sequence of an emergency.

For example, learners can practise:

• holding an infant correctly during choking treatment
• delivering effective chest compressions
• giving rescue breaths
• using an AED trainer
• responding to an unconscious casualty
• controlling serious bleeding

They can also receive immediate feedback from an instructor.

This is particularly important for skills that may need to be performed quickly under significant pressure.

How Long Does Paediatric First Aid Training Take?

The duration depends on the qualification and delivery method.

The full regulated Paediatric First Aid qualification normally requires 12 hours of learning.

This may be delivered through classroom learning or an approved blended format.

Our current blended course uses six hours of e-learning followed by one face-to-face training day.

The shorter Emergency Paediatric First Aid qualification requires less training time.

Our guide to how long paediatric first aid takes explains the different course durations.

How Long Does a Paediatric First Aid Certificate Last?

A regulated Paediatric First Aid qualification is normally valid for three years.

Training should be renewed before the qualification expires where someone needs to maintain current certification.

Do not confuse the length of the course with the validity of the qualification.

They are two different questions.

Our guide to paediatric first aid certificate validity explains expiry and renewal in more detail.

How Much Does Paediatric First Aid Training Cost?

Prices vary depending on:

• the qualification
• training provider
• location
• open course versus onsite delivery
• classroom versus blended learning
• awarding organisation fees
• course materials
• number of learners

Price should not be the only factor when choosing training.

Check what you are actually receiving.

A very cheap online certificate may not provide the regulated qualification or practical assessment you require.

We have a separate guide to how much a paediatric first aid course costs in the UK, where we look at course prices, what should be included and how to compare training providers.

What Should You Look for in a Paediatric First Aid Course?

Before booking, check:

• which qualification is being delivered
• who the awarding organisation is
• whether the qualification meets your requirements
• how much practical training is included
• whether online learning forms part of the course
• how learners are assessed
• the instructor’s experience
• class size
• what equipment is available for practical training
• what is included in the price
• how long the qualification remains valid

For early years practitioners, you should also confirm that the training meets the requirements relevant to your role and setting.

Do not choose solely because a website describes a course as “certified”.

Find out what the certification actually is.

What Is Paediatric First Aid Really About?

Ultimately, what is paediatric first aid comes down to being able to recognise when a baby or child needs help and having the confidence and practical skills to respond.

It is not about memorising a textbook.

It is about being able to act when faced with situations such as:

• a baby choking during a meal
• a child becoming unresponsive
• a severe allergic reaction
• a serious playground injury
• a seizure
• a significant burn
• serious bleeding
• a child who suddenly becomes extremely unwell

The first few minutes of an emergency can matter.

Good training gives people an opportunity to practise those decisions and skills before they are ever needed for real.

What Is Paediatric First Aid? Key Points to Remember

If you want a simple answer to what is paediatric first aid, remember:

• It is first aid focused on babies and children.
• Paediatric techniques differ from adult first aid in important areas.
• Infant and child CPR form a central part of practical training.
• Paediatric first aid includes choking, unconsciousness, AED use and serious bleeding.
• Full courses also cover a wider range of childhood illnesses and injuries.
• Different paediatric first aid qualifications are available.
• Some courses can use blended learning, but practical skills still require face-to-face training.
• Early years providers need to consider current EYFS requirements.
• A regulated Paediatric First Aid qualification is normally valid for three years.
• Practical training helps build confidence as well as knowledge.

Learn Paediatric First Aid with First Aid and Safety Training

Understanding what is paediatric first aid is the starting point. The next step is learning and practising the skills.

First Aid and Safety Training provides regulated Paediatric First Aid training through Qualsafe Awards for learners and organisations across the North East.

Our courses are practical and designed to help learners develop real skills and real confidence, rather than simply work through theory.

You can explore our Paediatric First Aid courses, find out about first aid training across the North East or contact First Aid and Safety Training to discuss the right course for you or your organisation.

You can also see our South Shields training location and customer reviews on Google Maps.

Real Skills, Real Confidence.