KeepaBeat First Aid Rochdale, Rochdale (2025)

29/08/2025

Did you know there are an estimated 40,000 injuries a year in UK playgrounds requiring hospital treatment 🏥

Accidents occur for many reasons, some of them due to the facilities, some of them that can, in some cases be prevented by us

Facilities

🔺 poor equipment or layout
🔺 incorrectly installed
🔺 poor maintenance
🔺 unsuitable equipment for age intended

Preventable causes 👧🏼👦🏽

🔺 supervising children
🔺 using equipment as intended
🔺 wearing suitable clothing
🔺 playing in appropriate weather

Not all accidents can be prevented but we can be vigilant when using play equipment. Here are the most common pieces of equipment for accidents

🔹 swings 40%
🔹 climbers 23%
🔹 slides 21%
🔹 roundabouts 5%
🔹 seesaws 4%
🔹 fireman’s pole 1%
🔹 other 6% (dog bites, glass etc)

So enjoy playing outdoors but take care and know what to do in case of an accident, it might save a trip to hospital ⛑️🚨

Source: ROSPA

20/08/2025

Why are finger foods good?

Often when parents start to prepare for the weaning journey they start to worry about choking. Historically, parents and carers would puree foods or cut them up in to teeny tiny pieces. But, if you want to promote safe eating then we need to teach children how to eat in a safe way. That means we need to give them foods that help to develop their oral motor skills

If you want babies to be able to chew then we need to give them chewable foods

So are finger foods safe? Yes - but we must prep them for the age and ability of the child

We cover more about how to prep food and all the reflexes our baby is learning with their hands and mouth on our First Aid For Weaning sessions! These are online twice a month, they are live and informal so you can ask questions as we go along

*Images show examples of size and shape but these will be different dependant on age and ability

08/08/2025

Sun stroke (medically known as heat exhaustion)

Children are unable to regulate their temperature as well as adults 🥵

Early recognition and treatment of sun stroke (heat exhaustion) will help to prevent the condition worsening and becoming heat stroke

The signs of heat exhaustion include:
* a headache
* dizziness and confusion
* loss of appetite and feeling sick
* excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin (may say they feel cold)
* cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
* fast breathing or pulse
* a high temperature of 38C or above
* being very thirsty

The symptoms are often the same in adults and children, although children may become floppy and sleepy

If someone is showing signs of heat exhaustion, they need to be cooled down

Hydrate with water, isotonic drinks or re-hydration sachets

Seek medical advice if there is no improvement or the child/adult is worsening

Source: NHS

30/07/2025

When preparing foods be aware of the size, shape and texture that you are giving when you are starting your weaning journey

Some foods are more problematic than others so try to make them safer where possible. It can also be a little bit trial and error as some children will find certain foods easier than others 🥑 is super slippery and maybe hard for little hands to hold!

To make these foods safer we can prepare them in a way that reduces the risk of choking. Never cut foods into circular pieces - for example sausages and carrots

As a guide:
🍎 Remove tough skins, pips, seeds and peels to start
Cut into long thin pieces - aim for around the size of your index finger - this makes foods easier to grip before the pincer grip has developed
🥦 Cook raw hard foods so that they are soft enough for you to easily break them down when you pinch them between your finger and thumb
🍇 When offering circular foods like grapes, cherry tomatoes or large olives chop them lengthways into quarters

Supporting our babies to feed themselves encourages independence and confidence

Join our Online First Aid For Weaning session and hear about a range of foods and how to make them safer

It’s live so you can ask questions too!

25/07/2025

As the weather is so lovely right now people are spending more time outdoors doing activities with their children🚲🛴

The minute your child goes on anything that has wheels and picks up some speed you should put a lid on it. Scooters, balance bikes, bikes, skateboards, skates ANYTHING…teaching them young will help to instil the rules for life

The rule for any children should be - if it has wheels & moves you have a lid on! No lid no go!

Why risk it? Please protect their precious head - and not just theirs, yours too!

17/07/2025

Every month we run live, online First Aid For Weaning sessions

These sessions are perfect for anyone that's starting the weaning journey with their baby

One of the biggest worries for parents is that their baby may choke and they wouldn’t know what to do

Feeling confident is key when you start your weaning journey! 🥦🥕🍓
💪Learn how to prep food safely
🥵😰Learn how to recognise the difference between gagging and choking
😌Learn how to react if your child is gagging
🖐🏽🚑Know how to start emergency treatment if your child was to choke

Our sessions are just £11.99 per person! The next one is Wednesday 23rd July at 7.30pm and can be booked at https://www.keepabeat.com/firstaidforweaning

11/07/2025

July is Group B Strep Awareness month and this week we are sharing some high risk factors

Risks to you baby increase if:

🔹 they are born preterm (prior to 37 weeks)
🔹 you have a high temperature in labour
🔹your waters break more than 24 hours before labour
🔹 you have had a positive GBS swab test in this pregnancy

Your baby will be treated immediately with antibiotics if they show any signs of infection after birth

Early onset GBS can mostly be prevented by giving intravenous antibiotics in labour to at risk pregnancies. There are currently no known preventions for late onset GBS

If you have tested GBS positive and your waters break after 37 weeks you should be offered induction of labour and IV antibiotics to reduce your baby’s exposure time prior to birth

Join us for our final awareness raising post next Friday where we will share symptoms to look out for

Sources www.gbss.org.uk, NHS

Group B Strep Support (GBSS)

09/07/2025

We know its but the weather is about to heat up again for a few days and we are heading into holiday season so wanted to give a little sun safety reminder

🌞Babies under 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight ! 🌞🌞

This is because their skin contains very little melanin which means they are more at risk of burning! OUCH! Babies should be kept in a shaded area or their delicate skin covered with clothing and a hat

Over 6 months always use a sun cream with at least 30 SPF and make sure it protects against both UVA and UVB rays 😎 this should be reapplied every couple of hours and should be water resistant if using a pool 🏖

Older babies should also be kept out of the sun as much as possible. Particularly between 11am - 3pm during the summer when the sun is at its hottest and strongest

Check out our post from last week about making sure your baby stays hydrated and also our previous posts regarding how to keep babies room cool and what to wear on hot nights

02/07/2025

💧💧How much water should my child drink? 💧💧

Answer: EVERY child is different. Different factors will mean some children will need more or less than the guidance of 6-8 cups of water a day. Factors include age, weather, how much physical activity they may have done and whether they have a medical condition

Small children will generally need smaller cups than older children too!

Under 5’s use a 120 - 150ml cup - 6 years and above use a 250ml - 300ml cup

If you struggle to get water in to your child get creative!

Can you make some ice lollies? Offer fruits that have lots of water like melon, strawberries, peaches and blackberries but be cautious of the sugar content for the teeth 🍓🍑🍡

Try funky cups and leaving lots of them around to encourage more drinking!

If possible try to avoid high in sugar drinks but small amounts of fruit juice (up to 150ml per day) or squash may encourage more fluid intake on hot days! Good luck 😘

From 6 months babies can have small sips of water from a cup or beaker when eating

Under 6 months breastfed babies do not need water but may want to feed more frequently when hot, formula fed babies may need small sips of water during hot weather 🌞🥤

Sources: nutrition.org.uk, NHS, Eatwell

27/06/2025

😰😨 dehydration in babies 👶 👶

With all the warm weather you may be worried your baby is dehydrated so here is our checklist of the signs and symptoms

Take your baby to the GP urgently or go to A&E if they
* seem drowsy
* are breathing fast
* have few or no tears when they cry
* have a soft spot on their head that sinks inwards (sunken fontanelle)
* have a dry mouth
* have dark yellow wee or have not had a wee in last 12 hours
* have cold and blotchy-looking hands and feet

If at all concerned see your GP immediately or visit A&E!

KeepaBeat First Aid Rochdale

29/08/2025

20/08/2025

08/08/2025

30/07/2025

25/07/2025

17/07/2025

11/07/2025

09/07/2025

02/07/2025

27/06/2025

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