British Red Cross Baby and Child First Aid courses: review thread NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the 20 MNer who are attending a British Red Cross Baby and Child First Aid course over the next few weeks on behalf of MN. If anyone else has experience of these courses they are also welcome to share their experiences.

British Red Cross say "Our Baby and Child First Aid courses run from over 50 venues across the UK - we are very much looking forward to the feedback from Mumsnetters. Our purpose of doing this is to encourage more people to learn lifesaving skills and have the confidence to use them in an emergency when needed.

The course is designed to teach you the steps in a number of emergency situations for babies and children including: dealing with an emergency, unconsciousness, choking, bleeding, burns, seizures and more. The course is aimed at people who are expectant parents, or parents and carers (eg grandparents) of children from birth to 12 years".

Please note: the courses run Mon-Fri during the day or across two evenings, or on a Saturday. Availability of dates and times does vary by venue. Each course lasts 5 hours (normally between 9am and 3pm for daytime courses and 7-9.30pm) across two consecutive evenings for evening courses.

More info on courses can be found here:
Baby and Child First Aid course information

So if you attended a course please share on this thread:

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?
What did you think about the course content?
How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience?
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course?
How would you rate the value for money of the course?

All MNers who were part of this product test - as thank you for adding feedback - will receive a copy of Baby and Child First Aid Fast and a compact travel first aid kit.

Thanks

[aimeejc]

I really enjoyed the course as every single thing discussed could easily relate to me and my children. All the videos of real life scenarios really brought it home how easily these things could happen, but now I feel confident and that I could make a real difference to the outcome and would feel so much more knowledgeable on what to do in an emergency situation. In addition whatever happened in an emergency I would always know I did everything I could.
Everything was very clear and straightforward. Easy to remember.
I felt it covered everything that you needed to know.
They have an app that I have downloaded on my phone. I plan to look at it every now and again to give me a little refresher.
Although you could read everything on the app and watch the videos for free I really think doing it in a class environment really makes you take it all in. It will also make you feel more confident if you were ever to need to help someone or your own child.
I would really recommend this course to my sister as it would help her confidence after a scare with her little boy.
I would encourage my friends to do the course but I don’t plan on making a group booking.
I think every parent should be given the opportunity to learn these lifesaving skills. It would be great if this course was offered free of charge to every new parent or carer on the NHS or something.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course? 3

[StantonLacy]

I attended the course on Saturday 17th May in Birmingham.

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you
appreciate about it?
The course was, to put it bluntly, fantastic.

What did you think about the course content?
Considering that the course was from 9am until 3pm, it never
dragged - every single thing we were taught or discussed was
interesting and relevant.We learnt so much absolutely vital first aid, and yet it was all put across in simple, uncomplicated terms by Yvonne, our marvellous trainer. In fact, one thing she did reiterate often was that she could make it more complicated if we wanted her to...but that there was no need, it was just as simple as she had explained. Yvonne was
professional but very approachable, funny and more than happy to answer any extra questions we all had.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
I think I will be going over the majority of things that I learnt on a
daily basis. I have already been rattling on about it all to my husband
and passing on as much of the information as I could. He was very impressed with how much we had covered and I think he'll want to attend himself at some point. I'll be reaquainting myself with the basics for the four Bs (Breathing, Bleeding, Burns, Breaks) regularly - we were also given a small card with the procedures for dealing with an unconscious baby/child, it went straight onto the kitchen blackboard!

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to go on this course for free-to be honest, £45 would have been an absolute bargain if I had had to pay, considering the level of knowledge and understanding I have been given.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
I went home afterwards feeling so much more confident about
dealing with the kinds of emergencies we had covered - I strongly feel that EVERYBODY should do this course and I'm a little bit horrifed that it has taken me this long to learn these essential life saving skills myself. Even if you are not a parent yourself, the skills you learn could one day be called upon. I would specifically recommend this course to any parents, parents to be or carers of small children- seriously, just book it!

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
Not a group booking in particular, but as I have stated above, I will
certainly be advising most of my friends and family to go on the
course.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to
learn Baby and Child First Aid?
It's a hard one, this. Yvonne pointed out that with so many people, the main barrier to wanting to learn this kind of thing, is fear. Just being scared of ever having to deal with a medical emergency, especially involving a child...a kind of stick your head in the sand mentality. I think if they could do some kind of ad campaign which focused on the utter simplicity of what you CAN do, rather than doing nothing, it would go some way towards encouraging the doubters.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and
Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can
make about the course?
At different points in the course we were shown some Red Cross made training films (using actors of course), which were extremely effective at showing the real life stress and utter panic you would feel in an emergency situation and how you would utilise the skills learned - they were also very affecting...I must say at times I found them very emotive, as I'm sure all of the other parents/parents to be found them. A kind of 'There but for the grace of god go I' feeling. I wasn't really expecting them to be so affecting, but then again, since I have had children I cry very easily, so I may not be the best judge of this sort of thing! It's not a criticism as such, just that it might be an idea to just explain to the attendees that they might find them distressing.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience?
A 5, for sure.

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you
attended the course?
Before I attended, about a 1 or 2? Afterwards, pretty much a 5.

How would you rate the value for money of the course?
A 5.

Thanks again for this great opportunity - it was so great to spend a
day gaining this kind of important knowledge and in the company of
such nice people. (Mumsnetters and non MN of course ;-) )

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

I went to a course today in Cardiff with my mum. I'm an expectant first time mum with very limited experience of children and babies. Her knowledge is much better than mine. I'll post my answers first followed by hers.

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?
Very much, far more than I was expecting. It seemed a good mix between theory and practice. The trainer Alexia was excellent, she was very encouraging, engaged all participants and was able to cater for a range of experience.

What did you think about the course content?
Very good. It seemed to cover everything that you might need to deal with. The only additional topic we covered (on request) was dealing with stings.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
I'll be downloading their free app and reminding myself of the techniques by watching the videos. I hope I won't need to put too many if the skills into practice.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
I thought it was really good value for money. I would have been happy to pay that to a commercial organisation so would be happier still to pay it to a charity. I think there's all kinds of things parents may feel pressured into buying for their children but this is something that's genuinely very worthwhile. In the event of an emergency I'd imagine you'd give your house to be able to save your child, £45/60 is really a modest cost to equip yourself with the skills needed.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to? Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
Yes, I've already recommended it to a friend. I'm thinking about persuading DH to go on it; although he's had adult first aid training, there's a big difference in babies in terms of the techniques and force/pressure used in CPR or dealing with choking. I think he'd benefit from practising on the dummies with a trainer on hand as it's the only way to properly learn the technique.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
Not really sure. I wonder whether expectant parents get bombarded with so much stuff that additional leaflets get overlooked. I think it's something everyone ought to think about. I wonder whether midwives ought to encourage people to consider it. I haven't been on any NCT etc courses yet but I get the impression that a significant part of them is about preparing for birth, which is a day (or maybe two-three if you're unlucky) where you have medical professionals there to look after you; this course covers any day over say the next ten years.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?
I would probably liked to have had a copy of the power point presentation to take away, but it may well be that the app will cover the safe ground.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course? 5

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

Whether you enjoyed the course?
Yes

What in particular did you appreciate about it?
Excellent trainer who put you at ease and was very informative and happy to answer any questions and vary course content.

What did you think about the course content?
Covered a variety of subjects and it was good to be specific to baby and child, and to be aware of the differences between baby, child and adult first aid.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
Will keep up to date by regularly visiting the British Red Cross website and have downloaded the apps.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
I thought the course was excellent value for money.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
Yes. I would recommend it to all adults who have caring duties for babies and young children. I would also recommend it to Day Nurseries, Playgroups childminders etc.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
It has inspired me to recommend it to friends and colleagues.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
Work with Local Education Authorities to provide courses for care provision settings. Promote their apps.

Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?
It would have been nice to have had a copy of the presentation as a reminder and also to be able to look through it and put in personal notes etc

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you
attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course? 5

[KatraAllandra]

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?
My husband and I both attended the course and really enjoyed the whole day. The trainer quickly put everyone at their ease and took any embarrassment out of practising on each other and on the dolls. There was plenty of time to discuss issues and practice the techniques demonstrated.
What did you think about the course content?
The content was good, covering a broad spectrum of potential accidents and illnesses in an informative way without causing undue worry. The only slight problem was that the trainer's presentation didn't have all the appropriate videos available so she had to rake around to try and find them. It would also have been good to have some sort of handbook or manual to take home afterwards.
How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
We have downloaded their App onto our phones and tablets to have as a reference and we would consider redoing the course in a few years time.
Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
We did pay for the course as we had booked before the MN's offer came up. We felt that £45 each was quite reasonable for the length of the course but we did expect to get some sort of guide / manual / handbook to take away and it was disappointing not to get that.
Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
We'd recommend it to any one who has or is having a child, and anyone who works with or babysits for children.
Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
No
How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
Not sure, it would be good if more people did this and first aid courses in general but we don't know how to encourage this
Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?
Provide a handbook for course attendees and review the presentation to ensure all the relevant videos are easily accessible. Otherwise it was excellent.

[KatraAllandra]

Sorry, forgot to leave the 3 scores

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you
attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course? 5

[Annbag]

My husband and I did this course today - thank you so much Mumsnet and British Red Cross, we both feel so much more confident now. Our comments are below:

Whether you enjoyed the course?

We did enjoy the course, as it is interactive - you have hands on experience trying out the first aid on dolls - rather than just sitting and listening like some courses.


What in particular did you appreciate about it?

We liked the chance to practice, and our instructor Georgie was very knowledgeable and had real life examples from her own kids and her work in the ambulance service. This really brought it to life for me. It was also good to be able to ask questions and get an experienced medical person answer them.


What did you think about the course content?

This was really good, it covered the main worries I have - choking, and unconsciousness. It also covered things I honestly hadn't thought about, such as how to recognise meningitis early before the rash. It covered all the main childhood illness and emergencies that we can think of and a few more that we hadn't thought about!


How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?

We are going to read a first aid book to refresh our memory. There's also an app you can download which looks useful.

It would be good if there was an option to purchase a book of the course on the day.


Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)

It's very good - £60 for 5 hours (or more if you wanted to stay behind and ask questions) is very good value. I think this is cheap compared to the non-essential baby things you are encouraged to buy and do that are much more expensive than this as I'd say this is essential!

A very small bug-bear of mine - I don't like it when London courses are a lot more than non-London. We're not all rich here, well I'm not anyway! However, £60 compared to £45 isn't too bad.


Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?

Yes, anyone that has a baby / child or is expecting one, or that looks after a child e.g. grandparents (please note there's a different course for people whose job is to look after children professionally).

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?

No, but we would recommend it to them.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?

Raise the profile of this course on sites like mumsnet. Get midwives / NHS staff to recommend doing it, or put leaflets in the information you get at your booking appointment.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters?

It was excellent and well worth while.

Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?

Only small improvement was I would have liked a leaflet or booklet with the course basics on, or have a book at the end to purchase if you wanted.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience?

5

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course?

Before 1, after 4-5 (it's difficult to be completely confident in any emergency situation, but at least we know what to do now)

How would you rate the value for money of the course?

5

[shatteredboo]

I attended the Birmingham course on 17th May and I have to say it was absolutely fabulous. It was extremely informative, easy to digest and actually really good fun!

The course covered a wide range of emergency scenarios without being overwhelming and our trainer Yvonne was fantastic at delivering the content and her extensive knowledge in a really fun and engaging way.

The format was relaxed and informal, with Yvonne making everyone feel completely at ease to ask any questions they may have at any point during the day. It was great to chat with other parents and carers about their experiences and how they have handled potential emergency situations in the past.

The course content was comprehensive, covering a full range of emergency procedures. We were given the opportunity to practise procedures learned using dummies which helped to consolidate our skills, as well as watch several red cross videos which were very informative, highlighting the main points for each emergency situation.

Since the course, I have found myself repeating (almost mantra-like!) the main points to remember for each emergency situation. Yvonne was absolutely right to keep reiterating that in fact most procedures are actually quite simple and straight forward and therefore easy to remember - especially when delivered so well. The handy pen we were given which detailed CPR procedures is a great little tool for when you're out and about, as well as the handy information card, which I have ensured my other half keeps in his wallet at all times!
I have also since downloaded the android app which is absolutely brilliant. It outlines all the main procedures simply and would be a great go to to get quick, life saving information in an emergency.

To be honest, I think the full price for the course of £45 or £65 is an absolute bargain. I am a little ashamed that it took an offer of a free course for me to think about emergency first aid! A cliché I know, but you really can't put a price on saving your child's (or any other child's) life. It's as simple as that. Absolutely invaluable. I'm so so pleased I've done it.

I would absolutely recommend this course to any parents, or prospective parents, as well as those in childcare - in fact anyone who has regular contact with children. I have been wittering on to anyone who will listen about how brilliant it was since the course. Just fab.

I would definitely think about making a group booking for friends and family in the future and indeed for myself to refresh my skills and knowledge.

As I mentioned earlier, I think the app (on both android and iphone) is an absolutely brilliant way of getting emergency first aid information across simply and effectively. As a huge amount of people own a smart phone these days (and have it permanently on their person) it's a superb way of ensuring that you will always be prepared. I had no idea such an app existed until Yvonne told us about it, so I think the Red Cross would benefit from marketing this more aggressively.

Overall learning experience 5

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course 5

How would you rate the value for money of the course 5 (if I could give a 6, I would!)

A fantastic, invaluable experience. Thank you SO much for the opportunity!

[Gemdar]

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?

I thought the course was fantastic and I left feeling confident that I had the knowledge to save my children’s lives. My son bumped his head this weekend and I was able to stay calm and felt confident that I had dealt with it correctly.



What did you think about the course content?

The course content was just right – our instructor was amazing she kept it simple, light hearted and interesting. She reiterated the important parts and made sure we were happy with what we learn, answered lots of questions and gave tips that I wouldn’t have thought of.

I had previously attended a short first aid course when DC1 was a baby which covered CPR and choking for babies run by our local children’s centre. The instructor on that course over complicated things and although I was aware of what I needed to do I wasn’t confident I could execute any of it. At the end of the Red Cross course I thought it was simple and I know what to do.



How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?

Our instructor told us about the Red Cross app for smart phones – this is useful for topping up knowledge and I’ll make sure I review it frequently.



Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)

Having attended the course I think £45 is excellent value for money – who wouldn’t spend that to save their baby or child’s life? However I can see how parents to be or parents of young children would be deterred from spending £90/£120 per couple when you have the perceived expenses of a newborn, maternity pay childcare costs etc. Our instructor told us how it is difficult to encourage parents and parents-to-be to attend the course without scaring them, they prefer to spend their pennies on the fun stuff!



Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?

I will be recommending this to every parent I know but would especially recommend it for parents-to-be.

I remember the scary first moments of having a newborn only to well. The fear of cot death, the coughing/choking when starting solids, the bumps when crawling and walking and I haven’t even reached the terrors of watching my kids climb trees and generally performing kids acrobatics yet If new parents had already attended this course hopefully this would ease some of these fears.




Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?

If I had the money I would book everyone I know on the course but I do feel I would encounter similar problems to encourage attendance that the Red Cross have – see my answer to the next question – maybe it’s time to be blunt myself!



How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?

Unfortunately my husband was unable to attend the course with me as we were unable to arrange childcare at short notice. I contacted every parent I know to see if anyone wanted to come with me and asked them to ask their friends. I had NO takers which really surprised me; this was a FREE course that could save their child’s life! I just don’t think people ever think it could happen to them!

Our instructor told us she asked a mum-to-be who was telling her about her baby monitor with the sensor pad. She asked her what would she do if the alarm went off and her baby had stopped breathing, the mum-to-be replied she would call an ambulance and our instructor asked her what she would do until the ambulance arrived?

I understand parents and parents-to-be only want to imagine the good times with their babies and children but I wonder how many people would look into first aid courses if they were asked directly what they would do if their baby or child had stopped breathing?

I would recommend targeting NHS and NCT anti-natal and post-natal courses and I do think they need to be more blunt with their marketing.

Discount on second place may encourage more couples and family members to attend



Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?



Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:

How would you rate the overall learning experience?
5

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course?
5

How would you rate the value for money of the course?
5

[zfj]

Hi, my husband and I attended the course in Belfast on 4th & 5th June.

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?

I really enjoyed the course, I was worried that it would be information overload and that I'd struggle to take on board what we needed to learn but the course was very practical and interactive, rather than being told things the instructor asked us lots of questions about what we would do in certain situations and filled in the gaps, this really helped everything to sink in.

What did you think about the course content?

The course content was great, particularly the CPR and Choking practicals with the dummies. Some of the areas such as dealing with a temperature, and sickness are perhaps more useful for newer parents. My children are 1 and 3 so I already have practical experience of this, but that said it's always reassuring to know that you're doing the right thing! I also found the sections on meningitis and allergic reaction very informative.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?

I will watch the videos on the app and practice CPR and choking procedures on Teddies and dolls.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)

Yes, I think this is excellent value for money.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?

Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who spends a lot of time with children.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?

No, but only because I wouldn't be a member of any appropriate groups. If I was still attending I would perhaps think about organising a group session for a parent and toddler group.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?

Information on the courses could be made available at Midwife appointments or given out by Health Visitors or GPs.

There could perhaps also be a way of helping people on lower incomes with the fees as £45 pp may be prohibitive to some.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters?

The course taught me skills that are so straightforward and easy to learn but that could make so much difference if I ever had to use them either on my own or another child. I'd had attending this course at the back of my mind for so long, so if you're thinking about it be assured it really is worth it.

Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?

No

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:

5

How would you rate the overall learning experience?

5

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course?

5

How would you rate the value for money of the course?

5

[BEEwitched]

Hi, I'm the father of a new born baby and, although I've done a first aid course before, they were always more focussed on giving first aid to adults rather than children. I think the one think that any parent dreads is being faced with their child being sick or injured and not knowing what to do. This course addresses that in a very clear and simple way.

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?

I liked the friendly atmosphere that assumed no previous knowledge of first aid. Even if you have done first aid before it is still good as a refresher course. This particular course was particularly good because it focussed on actually getting us to do what we were learning rather than just telling us what to do. By using the baby/child sized resusci-annes we learnt CPR (i.e. kiss of life) and "safe positions" for babies and children.

What did you think about the course content?

The course content was very good. It covered all the main aspects of first as applied to children but it was presented in a simpler way than the previous first aid course I have been on ... and that is good because the last thing you want to be doing in an emergency is racking your brains trying to remember how to tie a reef knot and other things that really don't matter.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?

I could say that I will be diligently reading up on first aid and regularly practicing on my family members - but know I won't. However there is an excellent free mobile phone app on Baby and Child First Aid that I am much more likely to use.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)

To be honest I think £45 is expensive considering the previous first aid course I attended was more detailed, equally well delivered, lasted over 6 weeks and cost only £25.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?

I would certainly recommend this course to friends and family.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?

No. Although I think everyone should learn first aid I also think it needs to be motivated by a personal desire to learn it.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?

The app is a really good idea. The course itself could be cheaper to make it more accessible.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?

My main problem is that I half remembered bits and pieces from the previous first aid course I did. I sometimes remembered things wrongly and some things have changed and so it was really useful to cover these things again as well as learn about how they apply specifically to children and babies.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience?

5

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course?

4

How would you rate the value for money of the course?

3

[roselover]

I am really keen to go on one of these courses - been thinking about it - scared stiff of things like chocking as I nearly chocked when I was little and remember it - really helpful to read these posts - how can we find out about them - I live in Central/north LOndon.

[roozocheeks]

I attended the course in edinburgh with my husband, neither of us has had any first aid training for lots (and lots) of years, and never specifically aimed at babies and children.

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?

We both really enjoyed the course. Despite it being after work (7pm-9.30pm for two evenings), the time just flew by and at no point did we feel the usual evening lethargy kicking in! The course leader was lovely, very informative and happy to answer all manner of questions. It was a very relaxed atmosphere yet we covered lots if serious topics.

What did you think about the course content?

The content to me was just right. At the start we were asked to write down our expectations and what we would like to cover over the two nights, our instructor made sure she went over not only her planned course, but included our own suggestions which was great. We covered, CPR, choking, burns, stings, breaks, strains, recovery position, bandaging, fever, V&D etc. The course was split between theory and practical, and I found it really useful to be given the chance to revisit CPR and recovery positions on the second night. It's amazing how much more confident we were second time around.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?

I have downloaded the free Red Cross app and will (try my best) to keep checking in on it to refresh my skills. The main message we picked up from the course was, ''do something'. It was heartening to realise that a lot of the time, our natural instincts with how to deal with these situations was correct and this has definitely improved my confidence to feel that I could make a difference.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)

I would definitely say the course was worth the money. The time and effort put in by the instructors, along with the knowledge we left with was well worth the cost.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?

I would recommend this course to anyone who either has babies/children, or spends a lot of time with them.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?

I personally wouldn't book for other people as I think it needs to be a course you are willing to do and have an interest in it for yourself.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?

I haven't seen the course advertised apart from through mumsnet. Perhaps a wider advertising campaign? Leaflets in gp surgeries etc?

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?

I really enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anyone who feels, like I did, that they wouldn't have a clue what to do in an emergency situation.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience?

5

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course?

5

How would you rate the value for money of the course?

5


Thanks again for the opportunity to attend, really appreciated!

[AnnMumsnet]

roselover - please check out the courses on this link

www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/First-aid/Baby-and-Child-First-Aid

Pretty resoundingly recommended by all of the above MNers I think!

[clux73]

Hello
I went on the course today. As someone who hasn't done any first aid training since I was in the guides in the 1980's I was a complete beginner - and someone prone to panicking!

Nathan our trainer put us very quickly at ease. He was very friendly, funny and relaxed. He used lots of examples of when he has had to use first aid techniques on his own family.

I really enjoyed the course, particularly the CPR as Nathan made it seem very simple and easy and all of us felt very confident after practising a few times.

At the start of the day we had to write down how confident we felt about being needed to perform first aid. I wrote 1 as being very unconfident. We had to do the same at the end and I put a 7/8 as I felt like I really did have a very good grasp of basic first aid.

I think the course is really good value for money and would definitely recommend it to any parents and expectant parents.

I have never seen the course advertised. Maybe a leaflet could be handed out at a midwife booking in appointment. There were two women in the late stage of pregnancy on our course today and they said they found it incredibly useful.

I would give it an excellent rating of 5 for experience, skills learnt, and value for money.

Thank you for giving me this oppoortunity. I honestly wish I had been on this course years ago.

[CoolCat2014]

I attended a course in Cardiff on the 21st with my husband.

My responses:

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?
We thoroughly enjoyed the course, the instructor was great at putting us at ease when we tried out the practical exercises. His passion and knowledge of first aid was remarkable. Really appreciated learning about first aid for babies & children that could potentially save a life. I've done first aid courses before, but never knew there was such a difference with infant & child first aid - especially appreciated the advice & demonstrations on choking.

What did you think about the course content?
The course was a great overview of some of the most important aspects of first aid. A lot of detail was gone into on CPR, the recovery position, and checking for breath & pulse. Whilst some of the other aspects were covered, more depth would have been good, however I understand that this could have been due to the time limitation. More feedback on the practical trials would have been good. I have done other first aid courses in the past, and a lot more feedback was always given on your performance.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
Through the app, first aid books, and further training courses.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
Good value for money - a lot was covered and it was the perfect depth to get a good overview of baby & child first aid. I think the price could be a bit restrictive - for average or low income earners for both partners to attend it could be off-putting, and for us with our first child on the way it would have been a real stretch at the moment. However it's totally worth the expense to have such potentially life-saving knowledge!

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
I'd definitely recommend highly, I'd especially recommend to anyone I know with small children.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
No - whilst I'd recommend it I wouldn't do a group booking unless I was part of a group that met regularly and was committed to learning.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
I think more advertising would be a good start - I'd not heard of these courses until it came up on mumsnet. Maybe leaflets in Doctors surgeries/health centres etc.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?
More feedback on the practical sessions would be appreciated. It also would have been really good to have some kind of hand-out with info or a card with basic reminders.

How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5

How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course?
1 - before, 4 - after

How would you rate the value for money of the course?
4

[CoolCat2014]

DH's responses:

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?
The course was a very enjoyable experience. I particularly appreciated the fun that we were able to have in the group and that the tutor made it an enjoyable and engaging experience, which aided the learning process

What did you think about the course content?
The course content was excellent. It covered such a vast spectrum of things.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
I would consider going on a refresher course maybe every 3 years. But the price point of the course would be an important factor.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
I think it's hard to put a price tag on the potentially life-saving knowledge gained from the course and of course £45 is well worth it. However, I think I would have had to think very carefully about going at the £45 price - especially if both my wife and I went. I think £30 would be more attractive.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
Yes. No one specific at the moment.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
No

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
Advertising. If there was any way that a booklet or leaflet could be handed out somewhere during pregnancy to encourage parents-to-be to attend as part of the preparing for baby. If there was any way that they could link in with the community midwives or Bounty packs. Maybe working with some parent and toddler groups.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?
No

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course? 4

[IMurderedStampyLongnose]

Hi, sorry for the delay in adding this feedback, I was having some account issues! I attended the Belfast course.

Whether you enjoyed the course? What in particular did you appreciate about it?

I really enjoyed the course, as did my friend who came with me. I particularly liked the trainer, she was a mother and grandmother herself and she was able to relate to the different issues with children really well.

What did you think about the course content?

I think the course covered most things that you would face with kids really well, although I really think it should have covered asthma as it is an increasingly prevalent issue with children and people are not aware of how serious it can be.
The CPR and choking topics were brilliant and gave me alot of confidence should I ever have to deal with any of these situations.

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?

The red cross app is really good and I will look at it regurlarly to refresh my memory.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (45 outside M25, 60 inside M25)

I thought the course was great value, there wasnt too many people on it so you got lots of one to one with the trainer and there was plenty of scope for asking questions on topics outside the course content.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?

I would recommend it for anyone who looks after a child, parents, grandparents etc.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?

I am going to try to get my parents on it as they would regularly look after my children and I would feel happier if they had the skills learnt in the course.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?

I think the Red Cross should go out to places like mothercare and hold brief sessions in their stores, and encourage people there to book in for full sessions. I think people would realise how important it is if they see demonstrations taking place. I also think it would be a good idea to hold sessions in schools, targeting parents of children in year one specificaly.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?

My only suggestion would be for the red cross to include asthma awareness in the sessions. I really feel all parents should attend a course like this.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:

How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course?5

[DessertFox]

I am the mother of a little boy whose boundless energy has taken him right up to and over the edges of changing tables, double beds and garden steps too many times in his first 21 months, including one heart wrenching trip to A&E. With baby number 2 due in December, this course couldn't frankly come soon enough for either of us and I was really looking forward to gaining some kind of proper knowledge of what to do if the worst should happen again. I attended in London last weekend.

Whether you enjoyed the course / What in particular did you appreciate about it
It was great. Small group of 8 people, good balance of formal instruction (via tutor/video) and practising the procedures on dummies / each other. A few giggles when we were a bit cack handed about abdominal thrusts the Annies were less compliant. Plenty of time for questions and sharing of our own experiences. Also - due to the existence of the app which we downloaded at the end - no weighty tomes of handouts, or frantic note taking (is that just me?).



What did you think about the course content?
The content covered a broad comprehensive range of potential scenarios.
Each was clearly divided between how to treat a baby and then an older child. The steps to take were repeated lots of times and reinforced through practical scenarios we played out.
The combination of repetition and practice should hopefully help the salient points stick in the minds of even the most sleep deprived and panicked of new parents. And there's always the app...

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
I've made a 'cheat sheet' of the most important basics (CPR ratios, choking procedures) which is up in the kitchen. i hope i never have to use it, but i am confident i would have a good go if it ever came to it.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
I would definitely have paid this if not more for a full day course such as this. It seems pretty much the going rate, and the knowledge and confirdence I have come away are worth it.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
Without a doubt. To anyone who would be in sole charge of a baby/child at some point. Knowing the basics and having the confidence to act could make a big difference. Selfishly there is also an element of knowing that you'd done everything you could/ avoiding the 'if onlys' after the event.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
I think MN indulgently overestimates my secretarial skills here. In an ideal world without full diaries and the need for skype i'd be all for a big group booking. Hmm, a group booking. Super-cautious-mumtobe-baby-shower event?! maybe at a stretch. as long as someone else organised it :)

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
Disregarding the potential for first-aid-lite themed baby showers for a second, this course would go down a storm among the new mums i meet at all the singing/music/art/baby gym etc etc.
I'd say bring the course to the mums though. Have a look at hiring out the space used by the activity groups at the various coffee-shop-back-rooms/ church halls where mums meet for the classes and stay for coffee. If they saw a first aid course advertised there for a couple of weeks time I bet they would jump at the chance. I know you'd need to bring equipment but honestly, so do some of these music teachers. Harps. Ukeleles. Double basses. For 2 year olds! I digress.


Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters? Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?
Loved the hands-free-ness of no handout notes BUT maybe a one-page summary of the really important facts for participants to take away & stick to their fridges would be good. Didn't take me long to make one, but might be a useful touch. And their mummy friends who come round and spot the poster on the fridge might start asking questions about how they can attend a similar course....

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:

How would you rate the overall learning experience? 4
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course? 4

[Sunbeam18]

I attended this course over two evenings in Edinburgh in June. I have a one-year-old son and had not done any first aid training for a number of years so felt I needed a refresher and a specific one for babies.

What did you think about the course content?
The course was great - the agenda was given at the beginning and we had the option of adding topics if we felt we needed to know more. The course covered everything I had thought of that I wanted to know (choking, drowning, unconsciousness)

How do you think you will maintain your confidence levels and knowledge of the skills you learned?
There is a very useful app created by the Red Cross that accompanies the course. It's easy to use and I've downloaded it.

Appreciating you didn't pay to attend - how would you rate the value for money of the course? (£45 outside M25, £60 inside M25)
I think this is very good value, although it would be great if these skills could be shown to all new parents for free. Not everyone can afford to do a course.

Would you recommend this to your friends and family? Is there anyone in particular you'd recommend it to?
I definitely would. I'd recommend it to new parents and anyone looking after children eg grandparents, nursery staff, teachers, teachers of baby activity classes.

Has attending the course inspired you to make a group booking for friends and family in the future?
I haven't done this, and probably wouldn't. I'd leave it up to individuals to book themselves.

How do you think British Red Cross can encourage more people to learn Baby and Child First Aid?
Maybe links with NCT? I hadn't seen any ads etc for courses such as this until I heard about this on the Mumsnet thread. Maybe midwives could advise pregnant women and partners of the existence of these courses in their appointments?

Is there anything else you'd like to share with British Red Cross and Mumsnetters?
No

Are there any suggestions for improvement you can make about the course?
No, I thought it was really excellent.

Lastly: three quick rating questions: on a scale of 1 -5 where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:
How would you rate the overall learning experience? 5
How confident do you feel in the skills learnt compared to before you attended the course? 5
How would you rate the value for money of the course? 5

[AnnMumsnet]

Thanks for all the feedback: much appreciated. The 'thank you' packs for those who attended a course are being sent out now and should be with you very soon. And here's hoping you never have to use what you have learnt.

[clux73]

Thanks very much. The pack arrived today.