Coach your kids to cope
St John Ambulance,
Elastoplast® and Great Ormond Street Hospital have
joined forces to launch a new life-saving first
aid campaign.
Called Kid Escapades, its aim is to encourage
parents to get clued-up on basic and life-saving first
aid, and to teach their children crucial life
skills.
Kid Escapades
The campaign is a response to an Elastoplast®
poll conducted in May this year. One of the major
discoveries was that while 85% of parents believe
adventure is a significant part of their children’s lives, many are
reluctant to allow them to enjoy new
experiences.
It is believed this is related to their own lack of
first aid knowledge and discussion about risk and
danger with their children. Unable to pass on something
they do not have, parents are unwilling to expose their children to
new experiences for fear they may be adversely affected. This
stunts the development of crucial life skills that
are important for later in life.
Child psychologist Dr Mandy Bryon from Great Ormond Street
Hospital highlights the importance of adventure: 'Allowing your
children to experience risk in a controlled environment helps to
develop their ability to face risks in the future
and builds confidence. It helps children become
resilient and gives them independence to
think for themselves.'
Kid Escapades provides expert advice, information and
fun, and practical activities about first aid and
life skills for parents and children to enjoy
together. Available from www.elastoplast.co.uk parents
can:
- Prepare for childhood emergencies by
downloading three short first
aid videos to their PC or mobile phone. Videos include visual
demonstrations from a real mum, and first hand advice from St John
Ambulance – cuts and burns; choking and head injuries;
resuscitation and recovery position
- Download the Kid’s
Life Skills pack for expert advice and practical
activities to help teach their children essential life skills
including independence, ingenuity and safety
- Download the Become
an Adventurer pack for fun filled activities to teach kids aged
6-10 about safety, decision-making, basic first aid and other
essential life skills
'If parents don’t have the first aid skills to cope with
childhood emergencies then they will face
difficulty when it comes to teaching their own
kids about safety,' said Clive James, first aid trainer at
St John Ambulance. ‘You never know when you’ll need to give first
aid yourself so it’s a good idea to get prepared
now. Download the first aid videos so you
always have the advice to hand. They could help
you be the difference between a life lost and a
life saved.'
Parents lack first aid skills
Elastoplast® statistics show that parents do
not know how to deal with major incidents
such as head injuries, broken bones or choking
(75% of parents do not know how to deal with a
choking child).
Even when it came to the basics - like covering a minor wound
with a plaster – 70% aren’t following the correct
procedures, leaving cuts open to dirt and infection.
More statistics
Research also revealed that:
- Forty one percent of parents had
never talked to their kids about dealing with
risks or assessing danger
- Almost half of the parents surveyed said their
children would not be very capable of finding
their way home if lost
- Forty percent thought their children would
struggle to ask for help from a responsible
adult
- Sixty-nine percent thought their kids
lacked the skills to perform very basic first aid
for cuts and burns.
Parents can help teach their kids life skills and learn more
about essential first aid by visiting www.elastoplast.co.uk.
All sources refer to research commissioned by One Poll, May
2010. Fifteen hundred respondents were parents of children aged
6-12, and 1103 respondents were children aged 6-12.