British Red Cross First Aid App

The British Red Cross have released an awesome, free app for teaching about First Aid for babies and children. This could be a literal lifesaver and is a must-have for all parents and carers!

As a parent of 4 small kids, I have often wanted to do a first aid course to find out all of the essential information about how to save their lives in the event of an emergency. I am hoping to take one of the brilliant British Red Cross first aid training sessions really soon with a group of friends, so that I finally have peace of mind that I will know what to do in the event of an incident.

When my mum was sick for many years, I often had to step in to help when she got a bad cut, cleaning the wound and patching it up with sterile dressings, as well as general care and reading up about her illness. As a student I took a lifeguard course at my swimming pool, and it turned out to be life-saving information as I was able to save my friend from drowning in the ocean while on holiday the following summer.

First aid knowledge is absolutely crucial for everyday life, from the small cuts and bumps on the head to the life-threatening conditions that occur without any warning. Those of us who are parents, carers, teachers or working with kids in some other capacity ALL need to know the basics, it’s simply not enough to wait for a designated first-aider to turn up and help out. Quite often we are the only one there when something serious arises, and we need the knowledge to know what to do!

Until I manage to take a first aid course, discovering this free First Aid app by the British Red Cross has been a great help to me as it is packed full of brilliant tips and organised in a really clear and easy to use way.

First of all it sets out the common accidents and illnesses by headings, such as burns, allergic reactions, choking and bleeding. When you click on each one in the list it takes you to a detailed page full of vital information about what to do in those circumstances. Most of them even have videos to instruct you too which are so helpful to watch, as well as diagrams and step-by-step tutorials.

One of my biggest fears with so many small toys in the house, is my baby or toddler choking, and I often think I’m not sure I would know what to do in that situation. So I clicked the section on choking, watched the very helpful video where they demonstrate how to dislodge an item in a child’s mouth and then read all the accompanying information. It didn’t take long at all to watch and read each section, and now I feel a lot better informed about what to do in any eventualities.

There was then a question and answer section which was so useful, and after reading it all I decided to take the test about choking.

There’s a simple, 5 question test for each area and once you have completed them all successfully you can unlock a discount code for when you want to book a first aid course, which is such a good idea and a great incentive to keep  learning more.

There are direct links to learn more about the different types of courses on offer and they show you where they are taking place. 

Another handy feature of the app is that you can use the personalised section to record any medical details about your own kids, including allergies and medication required in the event of an emergency, which is such a great idea.