How to Teach Kids to Avoid Needing First Aid

There are so many imporant things you need to teach your children–if you are like me you know how difficult it is to try to get it all into their heads. One thing that kids really need to learn about is first aid. Very few of us think of our children as needing to assist in a major medical emergency, but we never know what is going to happen. Most people will have to help in just such an emergency at least once in their life. Why should we assume that this time will only be after they have graduated from high school? And should we really assume that there will always be an adult present when an emergency takes place? Naturally we need to train our children to do first aid in particular situations. The sooner we teach them these critical skills the better. Don’t assume that the school system will help them much. Most schools should teach your children first aid but you never know if they will or if your kid will be absent on that day. However, one of the things that your kid’s school will not teach them is how to avoid situations where they will need first aid.
Although technically this is not a part of first aid training, for children a basic understanding of the types of situations that create a need for first aid should be thought of as a critical part of their training. It would be best for children to stay out of emergency situations, and by explaining the sorts of environments and conditions that create problems they will be better able to avoid a frightening experience.
So what types of situations should young children avoid? There are some basic household items and places that you should teach your young children about. One is electrical outlets, which clearly could give your young child a terrible shock. Explain that they need to avoid sticking anything in the outlet or playing with them. Next explain that sharp things such as knives or scissors are very dangerous. Finally, tell them to avoid playing with the stove or any other hot object. You might not be able to clearly teach your kids the appropriate first aid for a burn or severe cut, but you can teach them to avoid getting that cut or burn.

Another thing you need to talk about are outdoor activities. Let them know not to climb too high in trees or to wrestle in high places. Explain that contact sports can lead to serious injuries. Fighting withs sticks or throwing rocks often leads to some sort of injury. You don’t want to make your child afraid of playing with their friends or being alive. You do, however, want to help them understand the dangers.

Naturally you should still teach your children how to perform basic first aid. With older children the best plan is to emphasize the first aid principles. With younger children, however, this type of information might be very difficult to get across. It will be especially imporant to teach them how to call 911 and get emergency help as quickly as possible. Make sure they know your address and can explain what kind of emergency is taking place. Teaching them to avoid the very situations that would necessitate using that information is a good start to teaching any type of first aid to young children. Once they know how to stay out of trouble you should teach them how to deal with trouble.