Mini First Aid Exeter & South Devon

Episode 114: Paediatric First Aid and Allergies Listen to Twinkl Talks: EYFS on RedCircle

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Every year, we hear stories of people losing their lives while swimming in the seas around the UK.

Some of these tragic deaths are attributed to rip tides or rip currents, as they are also known. Rip tides are strong currents of water that flow from the shore out to sea. They are powerful and quick enough to drag a person out to deeper water.

Rip currents can be challenging to spot. You can sometimes spot frothy or swirling water forming a channel from overhead, but this is more difficult to see from the shoreline.

What to do if you find yourself caught in a rip tide:

⚠️ Call loudly for help.⚠️ If you have something buoyant to hold on to like an inflatable or a surfboard, keep tight hold of it.
⚠️ DO NOT swim against the current towards the shore. This is often people’s instinct, but typically people are not strong enough to swim against a rip current.
⚠️ Swim parallel to the shoreline so that you swim out of the rip current and not against it.
⚠️ Once the rip current is no longer pulling you, swim towards the shore. Switch to swimming parallel again if you begin to feel a pull again.
⚠️ If or when you can stand, wade rather than try to swim to anchor your body.

Water safety at the beach tips:

⚠️ Choose a beach that is patrolled and monitored by lifeguards. They will look out for rip tides and be your first responders if anything happens.
⚠️ Always swim between the red and yellow flags, as this area has been designated safe to swim.
⚠️ If you see a wind sock that shows a strong wind blowing in the direction of the sea, do not take inflatables into the sea as they could be dragged out to deeper water.
⚠️ If you see anyone else in trouble, alert the lifeguards or call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

You can find out lots more about water safety and Drowning Prevention Week at Royal Life Saving Society UK - RLSS UK

Capturing all the hugs from our recent Annual Conference! 💚

One of the best things about being part of this network is the people.

As franchisees, we spend most of our time running our businesses in our own communities, so opportunities to get together in person are few and far between. That’s why our Annual Conference is always such a highlight.

It’s a chance to catch up, share ideas, celebrate successes, learn from each other, and be reminded that we’re part of something bigger. The support, encouragement, and friendships within this network are truly special.

There was plenty of love, laughter, and of course, lots of hugs! 🤗

Feeling grateful to be part of such a supportive community of franchisees.

Great tip from our friends at The Lullaby Trust

C’mon England!!! ⚽️

Kiss the badge, not the baby. ⚽

If you’re a parent or carer to a newborn, that’s what you should consider telling visitors coming to watch the football with you this summer.

Babies have immature immune systems which means they’re more at risk of infections, especially in their first few weeks of life.

That’s why it’s important to remember THANKS: Think Hands And No KisseS.

Always remember to:

- Wash your hands before touching a baby
- Only kiss a new baby if you’re their parent or main carer

What we do recommend kissing though, is the badge on your shirt. It’s coming home! 💪

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3EB8hYA

49% of UK accidental drownings occur between May and August. Are you confident your child would know what to do if they fell into water or how to stay safe when playing near water?

Scroll through for some sobering statistics and facts about child drowning from

Drowning is largely preventable. Please take care to supervise small children at all times when in or near water and educate your teenagers about the dangers of swimming in rivers, lakes and estuaries.

Here are a few simple precautions and tips for water safety this summer ☀️💦

The most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are:

🚽 Toilet: Going to the toilet a lot to pass urine, bed wetting by a previously dry child or heavier nappies in babies. Getting up in the night to go to the toilet.
💦 Thirsty: Being really thirsty and not being able to quench the thirst. Your child may ask for a drink more often, finish drinks very quickly or you may notice they generally drink more.
💤 Tired: Feeling more tired than usual. Having less energy than normal, not playing as often, less energy for sports
🪞 Thinner: Losing weight or looking thinner than usual.

If your child has any of the signs or symptoms of diabetes, you should take them straight to the doctor and ask for a blood glucose test.

For more information, check out the Mini First Aid blog:

https://www.minifirstaid.co.uk/blog/childhood-diabetes-recognise-the-symptoms

Cow parsley is a common plant in the UK, we are seeing it everywhere at the moment, but did you know that there is a similar, related plant, called Giant Hogweed, which is toxic and can cause severe skin blisters*, burns and even blindness?

Toxic components in the sap of leaves, stems, roots, flowers and seeds of Giant Hogweed can be transferred to the skin by touch, and they make skin super sensitive to sunlight, which can then cause rashes, burns and severe blistering.

NHS guidance is to wash the area of skin with soap and water as quickly as possible, keep it covered and seek medical advice.

If a burn appears, treat it as you would any skin burn:

• Stop the burn process as soon as possible.
• Cool the skin with cool running water for 20 minutes
• Cover the burn with cling film.
• Treat the pain from a burn with paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Please see your GP or call 111 if symptoms are severe or persistent.

Swipe the slides to see how to identify Giant Hogweed - if in doubt, do not touch and please contact the council if the plant is on council-owned land.

*Please note, we have not been able to source an image of how skin blisters due to hogweed would look on black or brown skin - if this has happened to you and you would like to share the image to help others understand how this presents, please DM us 💚

Front Slide Image credits:
Blister image: Dragan Marjanovic, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Hogweed Image: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.