British Red Cross: First Aid Tips for the Summer Holidays

First aider attending to child with suspected heat exhaustion. They are both sitting down on a wooden bench in a school gymnasium setting

British Red Cross: First Aid Tips for the Summer Holidays

With the summer holidays just around the corner, we’re all hoping for more sunshine. But it’s not just the temperature outside that can cause concern - heat stroke and heat exhaustion can happen indoors too, especially in hot or poorly ventilated areas.

Heat exhaustion

Heat exhaustion happens when the body gets too hot, usually during a heatwave or in hot temperatures. A child with heat exhaustion might have been in the sun or heat for a long time. They might look paler than is normal for them, have a headache or dizziness, and feel sick.

How to help:

1. Give them plenty to drink.
Drinking water will replace lost fluids.

2. See medical advice.
Even if they appear to have recovered fully, you should seek medical advice. If their condition gets worse, call 999 for emergency help.

Heat stroke

Heatstroke occurs when someone becomes so hot it causes a failure of the brain’s thermostat, leading to the body becoming dangerously overheated. They will become flushed with hot dry skin because they are no longer sweating and their condition rapidly gets worse.

It is an emergency and needs medical help urgently.

How to help:

1. Call 999 immediately or ask someone else to do it.
2. Quickly move them into a cool environment and remove their outer clothing. Loosely wrap them in cold, damp clothes or a sheet. Continuously pour cold water over the sheet or clothes.
Keep cooling them while waiting for help to arrive for further treatment.
3. If their temperature returns to normal and they no longer feel hot to touch, you can stop cooling them. Replace the wet sheet with a dry one and help them to rest.

Paediatric first aid training

Our two-day EYFS compliant first aid course is ideal for people who work with young children, such as nursery staff or childminders. Book online today!

Don't forget, if you're a Morton Michel policyholder you can get 10% discount on the British Red Cross' paediatric training courses through Morton Michel's exclusive ChildCare Club. Find out more here.

Please note, the information in this article is provided by the British Red Cross and does not represent the views or opinions of Morton Michel.