first aid course for au pair / nanny

[Strix]

I am soon to hire an au pair / nanny, who will have some sole care of a 3 month old baby. I am thinking about sending the successful candidate on a first aid course.

1- Where might I find such a course in West London?

2- Is it possible to get a first aid course specific to babies?
3- Can anyone tell me what is covered in a typical first aid course (never been on one myself)?

And would I be out of line to ask her to do this on her own time if I pay for it? This would of course be discussed before offering the job and not something I would spring on her after she arrives.

call the red cross, they sometimes do courses for babies as well (I did one a loooong time ago). also au pair agencies sometimes organise something.

what was covered (also baby/small child specific):

• how to call an ambulance
• how to wash hands (was in the US maybe specific for that)
• broken limbs
• open wounds
• how to stabilise someone who is unconcious
• how to do cpr
• what to do with choking
• how to deal with swallowing of poisonous/harmfull substances

You probably want a 12 hour paediatric course - they're definitely specialised for babies and children and are good and thorough. IMO you don't want them doing an adult one because the techniques for CPR and choking in particular are different and I don't remember spotting meningitis being on that one. This is what I would expect to be covered.

The red cross are a good starting point, also St John's ambulance. Many nanny agencies run them too - try Tinies. Alternatively they're often organised by local colleges using an external training company.

As for doing it in their own time many are at the weekends so they'd need to. If you mean own time and unpaid then I'm sure you could sell it as a way to meet other local childcarers!

I have a friend who has used this one and apparently they are very good.

We have used this one www.theparentcompany.co.uk/

They will come to your house and do the course there and they do it at weekends too, which I found very useful. I think they do a course for up to 6 people at a time and it works out at about £45 per person. We did it with our nanny (and then with the au pair too) and another couple and their nanny. I thought the course was very good. And they will then remind you when the refresher is due.

This is really helpful. Thanks everyone.

St John's Ambulance run an early years paediatric first aid course which runs over 2 days. Covers resuscitation etc etc. There's a class near Baker St.