Child Emergencies at Home and School: First Aid Every Indian Parent Should Know

A one-rupee coin goes into a toddler’s mouth. A pot of boiling dal tips off the stove. A bottle of phenyl is left open under the sink. Most child emergencies happen at home, in front of a parent or grandparent, and the first few minutes depend on what that adult knows.

Babies and children are not small adults. CPR and choking first aid are done differently for them, which is why every parent, teacher and carer should learn the child version in a hands-on class.

What we can and cannot tell you in numbers

An earlier version of this page said a child dies “every 2 minutes” and quoted a figure of “7 lakh”. We could not trace either to a published dataset, so both have been withdrawn, along with an old year-by-year table that included a “projected” 2025 row. We have not found a reliable India series that counts child deaths from emergencies, or the share that first aid could prevent. Overall child mortality figures measure something different and should not be used in their place.

What we can say plainly: recognise the problem early, call 112, and give the right first aid for the child’s age while help is on the way.

Six emergencies every Indian parent should prepare for

This list is for preparedness. It is not a ranked national statistic.

1. Choking. Coins, peanuts, grapes, small toys and button batteries, especially in children under five.
2. Burns and scalds. Hot tea, dal, the pressure cooker, the iron, and diyas and crackers at Diwali.
3. Drowning. A toddler can drown in a bucket, a tub, an open sump or an uncovered water tank, not just in a pond or the sea.
4. High fever and fits. A child who is very hot, drowsy or having a seizure needs a doctor quickly.
5. Poisoning. Floor cleaners, toilet acid, kerosene, rat poison and adult medicines kept within reach.
6. Falls. Terraces without parapets, open drains, balconies, windows and staircases.

In any of these, call 112 early. Do not wait to see if things get better.

112 is the all-emergency number and reaches the police, fire service or an ambulance through one operator. 108 is the ambulance number in most states. If one does not connect, try the other. Tell the operator where you are first, then what has happened and how old the child is, and stay on the line. Our guides to emergency numbers in India and what to say when you call explain the rest.

How first aid differs for babies and children

1. Not responding and not breathing normally. Call 112 on loudspeaker and start CPR straight away. Resuscitation Council UK advises five rescue breaths first for a baby or child, then chest compressions about one third of the depth of the chest (never more than 6 cm). For a baby, use the two-thumb encircling technique.
2. Choking baby (under one year). Give up to five back blows, then up to five chest thrusts. Keep repeating, and call 112 if it does not clear. Do not poke a finger blindly into the mouth. A baby who has had chest thrusts should be checked in hospital.
3. Choking child (over one year). Encourage the child to cough. If that does not work, give five back blows, then up to five abdominal thrusts. Keep repeating, and call 112 if it does not clear. A child who has had abdominal thrusts should be checked in hospital. Our guide to choking in an adult, child or baby has the full steps for each age.
4. AED. An AED can be used on a child. Use the child mode or child pads if the machine has them. If it does not, use it as it is and follow the voice prompts. If you are alone, call 112 and start CPR before going to fetch an AED.
5. Burns and scalds. Cool the burn under cool, clean running water for 20 minutes. No ice, toothpaste, oil or butter. No ghee, creams or gels either, and do not burst blisters. Then get medical advice. For hot oil, steam, chemical and electric burns, see our burns and scalds first aid.
6. Suspected poisoning. Call 112, keep the bottle or packet, and do not try to make the child vomit or give anything to eat or drink. For advice on the poison itself, the AIIMS National Poisons Information Centre runs a 24-hour toll-free line, 1800 116 117. Do not wait for symptoms, and do not try to treat the child yourself; get them to the nearest hospital.

A blog post is not a complete protocol. Compression depth depends on the child’s size, and the only way to get it right is to practise on a training manikin.

Fits with fever, head injuries, drowning, burns and swallowed batteries

These are the emergencies parents ask about most after choking and CPR. None of this replaces a doctor, and nothing here involves giving medicine to a child.

• Fever with a fit. A child can have a seizure when the temperature rises fast. Note the time it starts. Cushion the head, move hard or sharp things away, and do not hold the child down or put anything in the mouth. Do not undress the child or sponge with cold water to bring the fever down. When the shaking stops, lay the child on their side and check that nothing blocks the mouth or throat. Call 112 if it is the first fit, if it lasts more than five minutes, if breathing is difficult, if only one side of the body stiffens or twitches, if the child stays unusually sleepy for more than an hour, or if there is a second fit within 24 hours.
• Head injury. Call 112 at once if the child was knocked out and has not woken up properly, cannot stay awake, has a fit, fell from more than a metre (about the height of a table) or from five stairs, was hurt in a road crash, has clear fluid or blood coming from the nose or ear, has a dent in the head, or has new weakness, trouble walking or speaking, or a sudden change in behaviour. For a baby under one, any bruise, swelling or large cut on the head needs a doctor straight away. Repeated vomiting or dizziness after a knock also means a doctor the same day. For a minor bump, hold a cold pack wrapped in a cloth on the spot, and keep an adult with the child for the first 24 hours. If a neck or back injury is possible, do not move the child unless there is danger.
• Drowning. Do not jump in unless you are trained; throw a rope or anything that floats and shout for help. Once the child is out, if there is no response and no normal breathing, call 112 and start CPR with five rescue breaths first, then 30 compressions and two breaths, as above. Be ready to turn the child on to their side, because many bring up stomach contents. A child who has been under water must be seen at a hospital even if they seem fine afterwards. More in our guides on rescuing a drowning person safely and water safety.
• Burns and scalds. After 20 minutes under cool running water, cover the burn loosely with cling film laid flat, not wrapped around the limb. Take the child to a hospital, or call 112, for a burn that is large or deep, is on the face, hands or genitals, or was caused by electricity, acid or any chemical. See also our guide to pressure cooker accidents.
• Swallowed medicine, phenyl or a button battery. Do not make the child vomit, and give nothing to eat or drink unless a doctor or the poison line tells you to. Call 112 or the poison line on 1800 116 117 and keep the packet or the device. A button battery is an emergency even if the child looks well: go to a hospital straight away and do not wait for symptoms. Our guide to medicines at home covers storage.

Never leave a child alone in a parked car, not even for a few minutes: check before locking. And near the sea or a river, keep children within arm’s reach; see keeping children safe at the water’s edge.

For parents and schools

• Learn infant and child CPR in a practical class, and refresh it every couple of years.
• Keep a first-aid kit with dressings, bandages, scissors, cling film for covering burns and a thermometer. Do not rely on burn creams.
• Lock away danger. Medicines, cleaners, kerosene and matchboxes go high up or in a locked cupboard, never in old cold-drink bottles.
• Cover water. Empty buckets after use, keep lids on drums and sumps, and put a railing or barrier around tanks.
• Train teachers, ayahs and anganwadi workers, and repeat the training regularly.
• Call 112 first. Do not lose time on home remedies.
• Tell the school about your child’s allergies and medical conditions, in writing.
• Agree roles in advance. Who calls 112, who gives first aid, who looks after the other children and who waits at the gate for the ambulance.

What the system should do

• Every district hospital should have a proper paediatric emergency area.
• 108 ambulances should carry child-size oxygen masks and airway kits.
• School teachers and anganwadi workers should be trained in child first aid and CPR; our case page on a Class 3 girl’s collapse in a Mayur Vihar school classroom sets out what was reported about CPR and what is still unconfirmed.
• Schools should teach basic emergency response as part of the curriculum.
• Health and disaster authorities should plan together for children in emergencies.

Do this tonight

Walk through your home at a toddler’s eye level. Pick up every coin, battery and tablet you can see, move the floor cleaner to a high shelf and empty the bathroom bucket. Then save 112 and 1800 116 117 in your phone, and book a child first-aid class for yourself this month. Our basic first aid guide and hands-only CPR guide cover what to do for adults, and teaching children survival skills helps you start the conversation at home.