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CPR — Child or Infant

ACT NOWA child or baby won't respond and isn't breathing normally.

  1. Check, then start

    • Make sure it's safe to reach them.
    • Child (1 year to puberty): tap the shoulder and shout.
    • Infant (under 1): flick the bottom of the foot.
    • No response, not breathing normally? Start CPR now.
    • Someone with you? One calls 911 — or runs for help if there's no service — and gets an AED while you start.
    • Alone? Shout for help and start CPR. Don't leave them to call until you've done about 2 minutes.
    • Saw them suddenly collapse? Call 911 (if there's service) and get an AED first, then start.
    • No signal at all? Have someone dial 911 anyway — iPhone 14 and newer offer to text 911 by satellite. They'll need to be outside, clear view of the sky.
    • On the line? Stay on speaker. The dispatcher will coach you and can find the nearest AED.
    Why

    Most children stop breathing before their heart stops, so 2 minutes of breaths and compressions comes first. A sudden collapse you witness is more likely a heart rhythm problem — the AED matters most then.

  2. Give 30 compressions

    • Child: one or two hands on the lower half of the breastbone, about 2 inches deep.
    • Infant: wrap both hands around the chest, both thumbs on the breastbone just below the nipple line, about 1½ inches deep.
    • Hands too small to wrap around? Heel of one hand, same spot.
    • 100–120 a minute. Let the chest come all the way back up.
    Why

    The old two-finger method for infants was dropped in 2025 — it rarely pushes deep enough to move blood.

  3. Give 2 breaths

    • Tilt the head back slightly — less for an infant, just to neutral — and lift the chin.
    • Child: seal your mouth over theirs. Infant: over the mouth and nose.
    • 2 breaths, about 1 second each. Watch the chest rise.
    • First breath doesn't go in? Re-tilt the head and try again.

  4. Keep going

    • Repeat 30 pushes, 2 breaths.
    • Don't stop until an AED is ready, help takes over, or they breathe normally.
    • Alone after 2 minutes? Call 911 if there's service — carry a small child or baby to the phone if there's no spine injury — then keep going.
    • No service? Keep going, and shout for help.

  5. Using an AED

    • Use child pads if it has them. Only adult pads? Use them — hesitating costs more than the wrong size.
    • Pads must never touch. Too small for both on the chest? One on the middle of the chest, one on the middle of the back.
    • Otherwise exactly like an adult: turn it on, follow the prompts, stand clear, push again right after any shock.

Sources: American Heart Association & American Academy of Pediatrics (2025 Guidelines, Part 6: Pediatric Basic Life Support) · MedlinePlus — CPR: young child / infant (reviewed Feb 2026) · American Red Cross First Aid Guidelines

General information to help in an emergency — not a substitute for training or professional care.

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