Osprey

According to the American Heart Association's guidelines Child CPR is administered to any victims ranging from about 1 to about 10 or 14 years of age, or the onset of adolescence as defined by the presence of secondary sex characteristics. Although some of the material in the next lesson may seem repetitive, we strongly recommend that you do not skip ahead as there are crucial distinctions that apply to children's rescue efforts.

The first thing to remember about Child CPR is this: in children cardiac arrest is rarely caused by heart failure but rather by an injury such as poisoning, smoke inhalation, or head trauma, which causes the breathing to stop first. And since children are more resilient than adults statistics have shown that they tend to respond to CPR much better if administered as soon as possible.

If the child is unresponsive and you are alone with him, check the victim for responsiveness by gently shaking the child and shouting, "Are you okay?" DO NOT shake the child if you suspect he may have suffered a spinal injury.  Dial 9-1-1 and start rescue efforts immediately .