A paediatric nurse has set up classes to help adults save the lives of babies and children after becoming shocked at how helpless parents can be in emergency situations.

Alison Conway, 38, has begun classes to teach adults to perform first aid on children, spot illnesses and deal with medical emergencies.

Despite only setting up six months ago, the business Tots2Teens has seen success as parents, grandparents and childminders have flocked to the classes.

Mrs Conway of Chigwell Park, says that parents often do not realise how different first aid is for adults and children, until it is too late.

She said: “Accidents can happen all the time. Children put things in their mouth and just having some sort of knowledge and confidence can prevent a child from a serious medical situation.

“I think that it is important for parents to take first aid classes.

“Children are very different to adults when it comes to administering first aid. It is a lot to do with oxygenation, adults have cardiac arrests but children only have them if they stop breathing, once that has happened then survival rates are shocking.

“I always tell the story of a young girl who choked on a grape and had to come to hospital, she had serious complications because her mum didn’t know what to do, she just froze and the little girl’s brain was starved of oxygen.”

Despite working full time Mrs Conway runs two different courses for small groups of around 6 people in their own homes. One deals with emergency response,  resuscitation and spotting serious illnesses, whilst another teaches adults how to deal with injuries such as burns, head injuries and limb loss.

She said: “I have worked with children since I qualified in 1997 and I have seen so many accidents which could have been helped if parents knew what to do.”

To find out more about first aid courses for children, or to book one, visit www.tots2teensfirstaid.com or call Alison on 07931383738.

To see a short video clip go to 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkLGDSb5aMc