We all must be prepared to respond when a child or staff member is hurt. Reread the scenarios from the Learn section of this lesson and describe what you would do in each. Discuss your answers with a trainer, coach, or administrator.

1. Sammy is rolling a ball on the floor and crawling after it. The ball stops under the snack table and Sammy crawls to get it. Instead of crawling away, he tries to stand up to walk and hits his head on the edge of the table.

   • Is this a life threatening injury?
     No, this does not appear to be a life threatening injury. Since Sammy hit his head, there is a risk of a head injury or concussion, but that is not usually a life threatening injury.

      
   • What would you do?
     Evaluate the situation and Sammy’s appearance and behaviors following the incident. Provide appropriate first aid. Contact Sammy’s parents or guardian. Continue to observe him throughout the day and seek medical attention if needed.

      

2. Dante and Claire are chasing one another on the paved path through their play area. Dante trips and skins his knee.

   • Is this a life threatening injury?
     No, this is not a life threatening injury.

      
   • What would you do?
     Use your basic first aid training and your first aid kit. Wash your hands and put on gloves. Clean the wound. Apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Apply a sterile adhesive bandage.

      

3. Madison and Tristan are riding trikes down a path that goes down a slight hill. Madison stops his trike at the bottom of the hill. Tristan can’t stop in time and runs into Madison. Both trikes fall over on top of the children. Madison hits his mouth on the bar of his trike and loses a tooth.

   • Is this a life threatening injury?
     No, this does not appear to be a life threatening injury. Just like with Simone in the first scenario, though, any evidence of a head injury could be life threatening.

      
   • What would you do?
     Follow your program’s first aid procedures for dental emergencies. Preserve the tooth and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Call Madison’s parents or guardians. Seek prompt medical attention.

      

4. Luke drops his favorite piece of artwork on the way to his dad’s car. It flutters into the parking lot and he toddles out to catch it. The oncoming vehicle cannot stop in time to miss him.

   • Is this a life threatening injury?
     We do not know the details, but this should be treated as a life threatening injury.

      
   • What would you do?
     Make sure it is safe for you and other responders to go to Luke. If it is, go to Luke to assess the situation and perform immediate first aid. Direct one person, by name, to call 911. Direct another individual to block and redirect traffic. Do not move Luke unless it is absolutely unsafe for him to stay in place.

      

5. Luis, 10 months, crawls towards you and opens his hand to show you something. You look closely and see it is a pill that must have fallen out of an adult’s purse. You notice he is chewing something and holding his mouth closed tightly. When you get his mouth open, you can tell Luis has swallowed some of the pills but you cannot determine how many

   • Is this a life threatening injury?
     Yes, this should be treated as a life threatening emergency. We do not know what kind of pills these are or how many Luis has ingested.

      
   • What would you do?
     Call 911 (or local EMS in international locations) or Poison Control (1-800-222-1222). Immediately take the pills from Luis and be prepared to describe them to the dispatcher. Follow the directions the dispatcher gives you. Look for the pill bottle to identify the pills.

      

6. Millie is giggling and clapping her hands during lunch during lunch. Suddenly her face turns red, her eyes get wide, and she cannot make any sounds.

   • Is this a life threatening injury?
     Yes, this is a life threatening injury.

      
   • What would you do?
     Use your first aid training. Perform quick, upward abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) until the object is dislodged. If Millie loses consciousness and is still not breathing, perform CPR as you were trained. Call 911.

      

*Note: Outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS), use local procedures for contacting emergency medical services.