The Baby Emergency Handbook: Lifesaving Information Every Parent Needs to Know

by Lawrence E. Shapiro PhD, Richard Jablow MD, Julia Holmes

Overview

When your baby faces a medical emergency, what should you do? Sometimes your intuition is spot-on, but other times it's entirely wrong. With this life-saving guide close at hand, you'll be ready to handle over forty common infant and toddler emergencies, including falls, high fevers, bee stings, burns, and more. This guide makes it easy to find the information you need during even the most stressful times. Most importantly, you'll learn how to prevent the most common emergencies that new parents encounter.

The Baby Emergency Handbook will help you:

•Learn the best ways to react in almost any emergency
•Know when to seek immediate medical help
•Get faster help in a hospital emergency room
•Tips on keeping your child safe

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608825851
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	07/23/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Lawrence E. Shapiro, Ph.D., is an internationally known child psychologist and parenting expert in Norwalk, CT. He has written over fifty books for parents, children, and mental health professionals.

Richard L. Jablow, MD, is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He has practiced emergency medicine in Connecticut for over fifteen years. When he is not in the emergency department, he can often be found chasing the elusive trout. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and daughter.

Julia Holmes is a freelance writer and holds a master's degree in creative writing from Columbia University.

Lawrence E. Shapiro, PhD, is an internationally known child psychologist and parenting expert in Norwalk, CT. He has written over fifty books for parents, children, and mental health professionals.

Read an Excerpt

Part 1
introduction: when bad things happen to good babies

When I began writing this book I asked every parent I knew if they had experienced an emergency when their children were infants. Over 80 percent said yes.

For a friend it was a car accident when her daughter was just three months old. For a colleague it was a fall off the kitchen counter when her infant was just five months old. Another friend told me about her son choking on a piece of hot dog at his first birthday party. I heard stories about food allergies, burns, bee stings, and much more. Fortunately, not one of these children had a permanent injury as a result of the emergency situation.

We have written this book to make sure that, if you are confronted by an emergency with your young child, you will know what to do, and, like in the vast majority of situations, your baby’s emergency will soon be just a bad memory. The Baby Emergency Handbook was designed so you can always have it with you. Keep it in your diaper bag so wherever your baby goes, the book will go too. In the back of this book you will find important information that you and the other adults who care for your infant need to know, including:

But don’t wait until there is an emergency to read the book! Each section of this book begins with information on how to prevent the problem. Read these sections carefully and have other people who care for your child do the same.

As part of your prevention program, we urge you to also take a course on baby first aid, and in particular infant CPR. These are offered by your local hospital or American Heart Association or Red Cross chapter. There is no substitute for hands-on training when your baby’s health and safety are involved.

At the end of each section in this book you will also find suggested issues to think about as your child grows. Unfortunately, emergencies do not end when your baby becomes a more resourceful and independent child, nor even when your child becomes a sturdy, nearly grown-up teen. Your baby will change in many ways over these years, but dangers will persist, as will your concern for your child’s safety. And, at every stage, you will find that being prepared and informed is the best way to protect your child.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Part 1: Introduction: When Bad Things Happen to Good Babies

Part 2: Ten Ways to Get Faster Help When Your Baby Is in Danger

The Emergencies

Abduction

Animal Bites

Asthma

Bee Stings

Bleeding

Breathing Problems

Broken Bones

Burns

Car Accidents

Chemical Burns

Choking

Crying (Inconsolable)

Cuts

Diaper Rashes

Diarrhea

Drops and Falls

Drowning

Eating Problems

Electric Shock

Failure to Bond

Fever

Food Allergies

Foreign Objects in Ear

Foreign Objects in Nose

Frostbite

Head or Neck Injury

Heat-Related Illnesses

Insect Bites

Lethargy

Meningitis

Nosebleeds

Nursemaid’s Elbow (Radial Head Subluxation)

Poisoning

Rash

Reaction to Shots

Seizures

Splinters

Stroller Accidents

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Sunburn

Vomiting

Weight Loss

Part 4: Appendices

Emergency Hotlines

Your Baby’s Health at a Glance

Your Personal Emergency Contacts

If Your Infant Is Choking

If Your Child Is Choking