Have you ever had to use CPR?
Last summer I had a sickening reminder of the importance of CPR skills.
Two year old Julia and I were standing in a wading pool. I was standing right next to her, but I turned my head to talk to my sister.
Almost immediately — only a second could have passed — my sister pointed and said, “She’s Drowning!!!”
I turned my head back to see my precious child starting to sink face first in the water!
I immediately reached down, scooped her up and pulled her out.
My head was turned for only a second. I hadn’t even turned my body. I was still not even an inch away from her and yet I hadn’t heard single sound.
She must have just toppled forward and started to sink. Her arms flapping were under the water and so they didn’t make any splashing sounds.
Thank the Lord that I was turned talking to my sister who was looking right at us, so that she could immediately tell me Julia had fallen.
I can’t get past the thought that what if the distraction had been another child and I had turned to talk to them for a minute… I can’t even let myself think about it.
But this scare cemented in my mind the importance of CPR skills.
In my original post about that day, I explained how I had taken a First Aid class before Julia was born, but I was so panicked during the class that I didn’t absorb the skills. I decided that I wanted to have a video where I could watch the demonstrations over and over at my own pace to increase my confidence.
In the many thoughtful comments, readers shared their own experiences and the general consensus was that we should all take CPR classes.
And of course I agree completely. Classroom CPR and First Aid training with an instructor to watch and correct your technique is the ideal situation. But if you’re in danger of not ever getting to a classroom, or like me, you want to be able to review the material at home, the American Heart Association has a solution.
The American Heart Association has created the CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program.
The Family & Friends CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program allows families, friends and the general public – those who most likely would never attend a traditional CPR course – to learn the core skills of CPR in just 22 minutes using their own personal kit.
The kit contains everything needed to learn basic CPR, and skills can be learned anywhere, from the comfort of a family home to a large community group setting. Also, at under $30, the CPR Anytime kit is a cost-effective way for the entire family to learn CPR at home. This kit does not provide certification in CPR.
They also created Infant CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program which covers CPR for babies under 12 months of age.
The thought of one of my children choking or being unable to breathe panics me. But after watching these videos, I do feel more confident that I know what steps to take if my child stopped breathing.
Clearly, the ideal situation is for everyone to take a full first aid and CPR class and a refresher every year. But what the AHA found is that the majority of the general public does not know CPR and the traditional 4 hour classroom course is a barrier to spreading CPR skills.
Personally, I am extremely impressed with the courses. Yesterday I watched both The Family & Friends CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program and The Infant CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program.
For both courses, the inflatable learning manikins come already assembled and the DVD training is clear and easy to understand.
Another great benefit of the training packages is that so many people can learn from just one kit. So far my husband, my mother and I all have watched the DVDs. I will also lend my course materials to my nanny, my sister and her family and nanny as well as other friends and neighbors. Hopefully none of us will ever need these skills, but in case we do… at least we’ll know the basics.
We have partnered with the American Heart Association to help spread the word about these life saving materials. Please join with us and share a link to this post on your own blog.
Leave a comment on this post telling us whether or not you’ve ever taken a CPR class before and if you’d like to win one of a copy of the The Family & Friends CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program and The Infant CPR Anytime Personal Learning Program. We have 5 sets to giveaway.
We’ll announce the 5 randomly selected winners on Saturday, October 11th.
Shipping is limited to the lower 48 US states.
175 Comments
I have not yet taken a CPR course, but I am planning on it. I would like to win–thanks!
I took a CPR class a few years ago. I would love this giveaway.
This is so important and I am so glad they’ve come out with this in a dvd format. It will reach a much wider market this way vs. having to go to a class in person. Wonderful prize; thank you.
I haven’t ever taken the class and this prize would be great for me. I would love to win!
I haven’t taken a cpr course, but would like to.
I have never had to use CPR.
I’ve never taken a CPR class before, but would like to!
I took a CPR class many, many years ago and really need to brush up on it.
I haven’t but I want to.
I haven’t but I really want to!
With a 2 year old in the house this would be great for the whole family to review and keep up on CPR skills. We have had training but it was several years ago. I’d love to win this.
I would like to win; I took CPR in college.
have never taken a cpr class, would love to win this and teach myself a bit
I took an infant CPR class in the hospital back before my first son was born five years ago. I would love a refresher on infant CPR, and now that my son is a little older, I really need information about child CPR. Thank you so much for the great (and potentially lifesaving) giveaway!
I am a Registerd Nurse , and for many years I was a Nurse Anesthetist. I passed the ACLS course several times.
I feel that new parents should not leave the hospital until they can demonstrate that they can perform CPR. They , also, need to understand that a child with No heart problems will probably survive intact if he/she is kept breathing!
It is important to know CPR, but to be adept at the Heimlich maneuver, also!
I took a CPR class many many years ago with life guard training! I would love to win this and get refreshed.
I have taken many CPR classes and they are awsome!!! I think they are important!
I’ve never taken a CPR class..
I haven’t had a CPR class in about 10 years. I would like to win!
have not taken course – would like to win
I’m an RN, so CPR has been a repeated part of my training all along. The great thing about this, though, is that the rest of my family can have the opportunity to learn the procedure as well. I would absolutely love to win this — No greater gift is possible to give, than to be able to bridge across some trauma and sustain life — and many thanks for this chance. What goes around comes around, and your karma will thank you later…
I’ve had several CPR courses, long ago and far away. I would like to win this as a refresher for me, but even more as a first-time training experience for our oldest son. The tallest kid in his school, he is coming into an age where his chances of encountering an emergency situation and NEEDING to know this are increasing. And as an “oldest”, looking out for his younger brother, NOT being able to help at a time when it would have made a difference would be devastating… It is increasingly clear, we NEED to win this (or find an alternative source). Thanks for the chance, and the inspiration!!
no
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I took a CPR class in college but would like a refresher!!
I took adult CPR every year for 7 years until 1999. In 1999, I took infant CPR, while I was pregnant with our oldest. I haven’t taken either since then. I could really use a refresher! Thank you for the giveaway!
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[...] skills to practice, we’ve found a story on the website “5 Minutes for Mom” called Have you ever had to use CPR? in which they talk about CPR review videos like the ones we have on ProCPR and [...]