B for Child Breathing

Breathing: Provide Rescue Breaths

Children have smaller lungs than adults, so use gentle breaths. Give just enough air to make the chest rise and avoid forceful breathing.

Illustration showing mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing for a child

If the child is not breathing normally or is only gasping:

  • Keep the airway open using the head-tilt, chin-lift
  • Pinch the nose closed
  • Cover the child’s mouth with yours and form a tight seal
  • Give 2 slow rescue breaths, each lasting about 1 second

Watch for the chest to rise with each breath. If the chest does not rise, re-open the airway and ensure a good seal before trying again.

If the chest still does not rise, look for a visible object in the mouth and remove it if present. Do not perform a blind finger sweep.

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