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Infant CPR basics every parent should know

Assigned clinical reviewerSharyn Harrison· CNM, NPDraft · pending clinical reviewUpdated

What does the evidence say about infant CPR?

  1. Check responsiveness first: tap the bottom of the infant's foot and shout, spending no more than about 10 seconds deciding whether the baby responds. Do not shake an infant to try to wake them. 1
  2. Shout for help and send another person to call 911 and get an AED while you start CPR. If calling would require leaving the infant alone, MedlinePlus advises about 2 minutes of CPR before going to the phone. A nearby phone lets you summon help without leaving the baby. 1
  3. Place the infant on a firm surface and compress the center of the chest with both thumbs while your hands encircle the torso. If that position cannot achieve adequate depth, use the heel of one hand. Aim for about 1.5 inches of depth, at 100 to 120 compressions per minute, allowing full recoil. 1
  4. A lone rescuer gives 30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths; with two rescuers, the ratio changes to 15 compressions per 2 breaths. For breaths, tilt the head back slightly, lift the chin, and seal your mouth over the infant's mouth and nose, giving each breath over about 1 second, just enough to see the chest rise. 1
  5. Before giving rescue breaths, check the infant's mouth for a visible object and remove it only if you can see it; this matters because an unresponsive infant can be in cardiac arrest either on its own or as the end point of an unrelieved choking episode, and the two situations share the same first response. 2
  6. CPR technique is written separately for three groups, infants under 1 year, children from age 1 to puberty, and adults and older children, because compression depth, hand placement, and force all scale to body size rather than a single technique fitting every age. 3
  7. In a matched analysis of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, bystander CPR was associated with a higher rate of return of spontaneous circulation, 31.2% versus 23.7% without it, and a higher rate of survival to hospital admission, 28.7% versus 19.8%, underscoring why starting compressions immediately matters more than waiting for paramedics to arrive. 4

Frequently asked questions

How do I check whether my baby actually needs CPR?

Tap the bottom of the infant's foot and shout to check for a response, spending no more than about 10 seconds. If the baby does not respond and is not breathing normally, start CPR right away rather than continuing to check. Do not shake an infant while trying to assess responsiveness.

Exactly where do I put my hands for infant chest compressions?

Place both thumbs side by side on the breastbone just below the nipple line, with your hands encircling the chest and fingers supporting the back. Use the heel of one hand if the encircling position cannot achieve adequate compression depth. Two-finger compressions are no longer the recommended technique.

How hard and how fast should I press during infant CPR?

Compress the chest about 1.5 inches deep at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, letting the chest fully recoil between compressions. This is shallower and uses a different hand position than adult or child CPR, since it's scaled to infant anatomy.

How do I give rescue breaths to an infant?

Tilt the head back slightly and lift the chin to open the airway, then seal your mouth over both the infant's mouth and nose at once. Give each breath over about 1 second, just enough to make the chest visibly rise, not a large forceful breath.

Should I call 911 before or after I start CPR?

Have someone call 911 and bring an AED while you begin CPR. If a phone is beside you, use speaker mode to get help without leaving the baby. The roughly 2-minute instruction applies when you would otherwise have to leave the infant alone to reach a phone; it is not a reason to delay an available call.

How is infant CPR different from CPR for an older child or an adult?

Infants need a smaller compression depth, about one-third of the chest or roughly 1.5 inches, with two encircling thumbs or the heel of one hand. Breaths usually cover the mouth and nose together. Adult hand placement and depth cannot simply be copied onto an infant.

What if I'm home alone with my baby and my phone isn't nearby?

Start CPR immediately rather than leaving the baby to search for a phone. Give about 2 minutes of CPR, then stop just long enough to call 911 yourself before resuming compressions and breaths until help arrives or the baby recovers.

I just read this. Do I still need to take an in-person infant CPR class?

Yes. This page describes the technique, but a hands-on class lets you practice compression depth, hand placement, and breath timing on an infant training manikin with an instructor correcting your form, which is difficult to gauge correctly from reading alone.

Related in the library

References

  1. CPR - infant

    MedlinePlus · https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000011.htm

  2. Choking - infant under 1 year

    MedlinePlus · https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000048.htm

  3. CPR

    MedlinePlus · https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000010.htm

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.