First aid is usually thought of as a workplace thing. Something your employer sorts out, a certificate on the wall, a green box in the kitchen. But the most important first aid you will ever give is not at work. It is at home, in your own living room, in your kitchen, in the garden, at the park. And the person who needs it is not a colleague. It is your child.
That is why we believe baby and toddler first aid should be treated as a family priority, not just something for one parent to tick off a list. When both parents know what to do, when grandparents are trained, when anyone who regularly looks after your children has the skills, your child is surrounded by people who can act in an emergency. That is the safest possible environment you can create.
We are PCT Services, and we run Baby and Toddler First Aid courses at our training centre at First Floor, 2 Queen Street in Northwich, about a 20 minute drive from Sandbach. It costs £42 per person, lasts three hours, and you receive a certificate valid for one year.
Why it should be a family effort
Most families have one person who does the first aid course. Usually the mum. She books it during pregnancy or shortly after the baby arrives, she learns the skills, and she feels prepared. But what about when she is not there?
What happens when dad is doing bathtime and the baby slips under the water? What happens when grandma is babysitting and the toddler chokes on a grape? What happens when the childminder has a day off and a family friend is looking after the little one? In each of these moments, the person present needs to know what to do. Not the person who did the course six months ago and is currently at the supermarket.
Making baby first aid a family priority means that the skills are spread across everyone who cares for your child. Both parents, both sets of grandparents, regular babysitters, older siblings who are old enough to learn. The more people in your child's life who know how to respond, the safer your child is.
What the course covers
The course is three hours of practical, hands-on learning. You work with infant manikins, practising every technique until it feels natural. The instructor demonstrates, you practise, you ask questions, and you repeat until you are confident.
You learn choking management for babies and young children, including the specific techniques for infants that are different from what you would do for an adult. You learn infant and child CPR, covering both the rescue breaths and chest compressions using two fingers for babies. You learn how to manage burns and scalds, which are among the most common injuries in homes with young children. You learn about febrile convulsions, the seizures triggered by rapid temperature rises that terrify parents who have never seen them before. You cover allergic reactions, meningitis recognition, bleeding, and head injuries.
Everything is relevant to what actually happens at home. The scenarios are drawn from real life: a baby choking during weaning, a toddler pulling a mug of tea from the table, a child falling from a climbing frame, a sudden unexplained fever in the middle of the night.
Making it a family event
We run scheduled courses throughout the year, and couples who attend together is one of the most common bookings we see. But we also encourage families to think bigger.
Book a Saturday course and go as a couple. Then book the grandparents onto the next available date. If your sister or brother regularly looks after your children, suggest they attend too. If you are part of an NCT group or a parent group in Sandbach, book as a group and make it a shared experience.
The course costs £42 per person. For most families, training both parents and two grandparents would cost £168. That is less than a family day out, and the value is immeasurable.
Common concerns from Sandbach families
Will it be scary? No. The course is designed to be reassuring, not frightening. You leave feeling more confident, not more anxious. Knowing what to do reduces fear. It does not increase it.
Do I need any previous experience? None at all. The course starts from scratch and builds your skills step by step. It is designed for people who have never done any first aid training before.
Can I bring my baby? The course environment is set up for practical training with manikins. We recommend arranging childcare so you can focus fully on the learning. Three hours of uninterrupted attention is the best investment you can make.
Is it just for new parents? Not at all. Parents of toddlers, grandparents, aunties, uncles, family friends, and anyone who looks after young children will benefit. The skills covered are relevant from birth through to around five years old.
The details
Three hours, £42 per person, certificate valid for one year. Groups are small, a maximum of 12, so there is plenty of individual attention. No previous experience needed.
We run scheduled courses throughout the year at our training centre at First Floor, 2 Queen Street in Northwich. Check the live dates on our Baby and Toddler First Aid page.
For Sandbach families or groups who want to book a session together, give us a call on 07958 915146 and we can arrange a date that works for everyone.
Baby & Toddler First Aid
Gain confidence to handle emergencies with your baby or toddler. Learn essential first aid skills from a trainer who is a Registered Nurse with many years of clinical experience within Emergency Departments who trains Advanced Paediatric Life Support to medical and nursing staff in acute hospital environments.
Northwich Training Centre, Northwich
Fully booked · 3 dates available
Make it a priority
You child-proof the house. You fit the stair gates, the socket covers, the cupboard locks. But you cannot prevent every accident. What you can do is make sure that the people around your child know exactly what to do when something goes wrong. That is what this course gives you. Make it a family priority and book your places.
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