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AGR-EARL54-05 · Lesson 7 · 17 clock hours · demo

Pediatric First Aid: Wound Care, Choking, Allergic Reactions, and Seizures

Objective. Students will perform pediatric first aid procedures for minor wounds, choking (conscious and unconscious infant and child), anaphylaxis recognition and epinephrine auto-injector training device use, and seizure response, to the standard required by the certification course.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a licensed professional in the field or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

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Why Pediatric First Aid Matters in Preschool Settings

As a preschool teacher, you are legally and professionally responsible for the children in your care. State childcare licensing regulations and the CDA credential both require that caregivers maintain current pediatric first aid and CPR certification. Emergencies do not wait for paramedics to arrive — your skilled, calm response in the first few minutes determines outcomes. This lesson covers four high-priority skills: wound care, choking relief, anaphylaxis recognition and epinephrine auto-injector use, and seizure response.

Personal Protective Equipment and Safety First

Before touching any wound or body fluids, put on latex-free gloves. Many children and adults have latex allergies, so your classroom and first aid kit should stock only latex-free supplies. Gloves protect both you and the child from cross-contamination. Never remove gloves between children without hand-washing. Dispose of soiled supplies in a sealed bag according to your program's exposure-control plan.

Minor Wound Care

Minor cuts, scrapes, and splinters are among the most common preschool injuries. Follow these steps:

1. Glove up before any contact with blood or open skin.

2. Control bleeding by applying direct pressure with clean gauze. Hold steady pressure — do not peek repeatedly.

3. Clean the wound with clean running water for several minutes to flush debris. Soap around (not inside) the wound is acceptable.

4. Cover the wound with an appropriately sized bandage or sterile gauze pad secured with tape.

5. Document and notify the child's parent or guardian and complete an incident report per your program's policy.

Seek emergency care for wounds that are deep, gaping, will not stop bleeding after 10 minutes of direct pressure, or involve the face, hands, or joints.

Choking Relief: Infants and Children

Choking is a leading cause of injury death in young children. Never perform blind finger sweeps — you may push the object deeper.

Conscious infant (under 1 year):

Position the infant face-down along your forearm, supporting the head below the chest. Deliver 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand, then flip the infant face-up and give 5 chest thrusts using two fingers on the center of the chest just below the nipple line. Alternate back blows and chest thrusts until the object is expelled or the infant becomes unconscious.

Conscious child (1 year and older):

Kneel or stand behind the child. Make a fist and place it just above the navel and well below the breastbone. Cover with your other hand and give firm upward abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver). Repeat until the object is expelled or the child loses consciousness.

Unconscious infant or child:

Lower the child carefully to the ground. Call or send someone to call 911. Begin CPR cycles. Before giving breaths, look in the mouth — if you can see the object, remove it. Begin chest compressions and rescue breaths per your certification course protocol.

Anaphylaxis: Recognition and Epinephrine Auto-Injector Use

Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Triggers include foods (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs), insect stings, and medications. Recognize it by a combination of signs that come on rapidly:

Act immediately — anaphylaxis can become fatal within minutes.

1. Call 911 first (or have a colleague call while you act).

2. Retrieve the child's prescribed epinephrine auto-injector (e.g., EpiPen) from secure, accessible storage — know where every enrolled child's device is kept before any emergency occurs.

3. Remove the safety cap. Hold the device in your dominant hand with your thumb away from the tip.

4. Inject into the outer mid-thigh — you may inject through clothing. Press firmly and hold for the number of seconds specified on the device label.

5. Note the time of injection and relay it to EMS when they arrive.

6. Keep the child lying down with legs elevated unless breathing is difficult, in which case allow them to sit up slightly.

7. A second dose may be given if symptoms worsen and EMS has not arrived — only if a second device is available.

During training you will use an EpiPen trainer device, which has no needle and no medication. Technique is identical to a real device.

Seizure Response

Febrile seizures (caused by rapid fever rise) are the most common seizure type in young children. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures involve loss of consciousness and rhythmic jerking.

What to do:

1. Stay calm and time the seizure.

2. Clear the area — remove hard or sharp objects; do not restrain the child.

3. Cushion the head with something soft and flat.

4. Turn the child onto their side (recovery position) once convulsing stops, to keep the airway clear.

5. Never put anything in the child's mouth — this is a dangerous myth.

6. Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, the child does not regain consciousness, another seizure follows, the child is injured, or this is the first known seizure.

7. Document start time, duration, body movements observed, and post-seizure behavior for EMS and the parent.

Documentation and Notification

Every first aid event requires an incident report completed the same day. Notify parents promptly. For epinephrine administration or any 911 call, your director must also be notified immediately. Proper documentation supports your state childcare license compliance and protects you legally.

Key terms8

AnaphylaxisA severe, rapid-onset systemic allergic reaction that can involve the airway, breathing, and circulation and is potentially life-threatening without immediate treatment.
Epinephrine auto-injectorA pre-filled, spring-loaded device (such as an EpiPen) that delivers a measured dose of epinephrine into the outer thigh muscle to reverse the effects of anaphylaxis.
Abdominal thrustAn upward inward compression applied just above the navel to expel a foreign-body airway obstruction in a conscious child aged 1 year and older; also called the Heimlich maneuver.
Back blowA firm strike with the heel of the hand between an infant's shoulder blades, used to dislodge a foreign-body airway obstruction in an infant under 1 year.
Recovery positionA side-lying position used after a seizure (or for an unconscious, breathing person) to keep the airway open and prevent aspiration of secretions or vomit.
Direct pressureSteady, firm pressure applied to a wound with clean gauze or cloth to control bleeding by promoting clot formation.
Latex-free glovesPersonal protective equipment made without natural rubber latex, required in early childhood settings to prevent allergic reactions in children or staff with latex sensitivity.
Febrile seizureA convulsion triggered by a rapid rise in body temperature, most common in young children; typically brief and self-limiting but requires medical evaluation.
In class: Instructor demonstrates each procedure on mannequins and training devices; students practice abdominal thrusts and back blows on infant and child mannequins in groups of three, rotating until each achieves correct technique observed by instructor. · Simulate an anaphylaxis scenario: student identifies signs from a role-play script, retrieves a training epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen trainer), administers it to the lateral thigh of a mannequin in the correct position, and calls for EMS — timed at under 3 minutes. · Complete the first aid skills station rotation (wound care, seizure response positioning, choking) as structured by the pediatric first aid certification provider's curriculum, with instructor sign-off at each station.
Materials: Infant and child CPR/first aid mannequins, EpiPen trainer devices, latex-free gloves, wound care supplies (gauze, bandages — training use), pediatric first aid certification course student manual, AED trainer unit, skills check-off sheets from certification provider
Check: Each student must pass all skills stations as required by the pediatric first aid/CPR certification provider — 100% of critical steps performed correctly on final attempt (maximum 2 attempts per station per certification standard); instructor documents pass/fail on certification provider forms.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

Health, Safety, and Nutrition — CDA Functional Area
1. You observe a 2-year-old clutching her throat, unable to cry or cough effectively. She is conscious. What is your first action?
Health, Safety, and Nutrition — CDA Functional Area
2. An 8-month-old infant is choking and is conscious. Which sequence is correct?
Health, Safety, and Nutrition — CDA Functional Area
3. A child in your class who is known to have a peanut allergy suddenly develops hives, begins wheezing, and looks pale. You retrieve her prescribed EpiPen. Where should you administer it?
Health, Safety, and Nutrition — CDA Functional Area
4. During an anaphylaxis emergency, which action should happen first — before you administer the epinephrine auto-injector?
Health, Safety, and Nutrition — CDA Functional Area
5. A 4-year-old is having a tonic-clonic seizure on the classroom floor. Which action is MOST appropriate?
Program Management and Professionalism — State Childcare License Compliance
6. After providing first aid for a child's laceration that required direct pressure and bandaging, what is your immediate required next step as a preschool teacher?
Health, Safety, and Nutrition — CDA Functional Area
7. Why must preschool first aid kits and gloves be latex-free?
Health, Safety, and Nutrition — CDA Functional Area
8. A seizure in a preschool child has been ongoing for 6 minutes without stopping. What is the correct action?
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