Child safety is a continuous journey and as a parent or guardian your efforts play a crucial role in your child day to day well-being. Parents and guardians around the world understand the importance of keeping vigilant when it comes to little ones, but sometimes life throws unexpected challenges your way.

Belinda, the mother of 9-year-old Ollie, recently experienced every parent’s worst nightmare. On a typical weekend, she drove Ollie to a schoolmate’s house for a playdate, and shortly after the parents settled in while the kids played- everything seemed normal until disaster struck.

In a moment of excitement, Ollie had dashed toward a glass door, unbeknownst to him it was closed, causing him to collide through the thick glass. Without a parent in sight to  witness the incident, the sound of shattering glass and Ollie’s piercing scream sent Belinda through the house, racing to his side.

When she arrived, Belinda found her son face down amongst the countless shards of glass. Despite her panic, Belinda quickly assessed the situation, asking the other kids to stay back as she knelt beside her son. Fortunately, Ollie had no severe cuts, just some scrapes and a bump on his forehead.

Belinda swiftly took Ollie home and kept a close eye on him to monitor his condition, but very quickly after arriving home the 9 year old complained to his mum of a headache and nausea. Quickly recognizing the immediate signs, she called her doctor ahead of time and took Ollie in. Unfortunately there was a further development to Ollie’s medical condition, leading to a diagnosis of a mild concussion. Sadly, further evaluation revealed he had sustained a mild concussion. After a brief observation, they returned home for continued monitoring.

Thanks to Belinda’s quick thinking and baseline understanding of first-aid knowledge, she was able to swiftly act and assist her son during his medical emergency.

 St John Ambulance NSW offers a "Caring for Children" course designed for parents, grandparents, and guardians. This course is designed to equip you with relevant first-aid skills and strategies for managing everyday situations, specific to children. Empower yourself with knowledge and confidence—click HERE to learn more about the Caring for Children course.