Aussie paramedic reveals how to calm a sick child using birthday candle technique
By Heidi Krause|
As we come into the colder months, that unfortunately, means more sickness and germs for little ones. ?
A paramedic and mum-of-two has revealed her simple technique to help a child suffering from croup or another respiratory illnesses.
Nikki Jurcutz is a parent, former paramedic and the CEO of the child safety organisation Tiny Hearts Education, and in a new Instagram video, has shared her 'hack' to get a child to calm down who may be struggling to breathe.
"?It's croup season and I want to share the best hack I have for managing it," she begins the video. "When I used to work as a paramedic I used to give this tip out to families all the time."
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Nikki explains that her own child is prone to getting croup. Croup is a common condition that causes ?upper airway swelling to the voice box and windpipe and mostly affects kids between six months and five years old.
Children with croup develop a harsh, barking cough and may make a noisy, high-pitched sound when they breathe in.
"It can make them feel like they're suffocating," Nikki explains. "The more distressed and upset your child becomes, the worse the symptoms of respiratory distress become."
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"So the best thing we can do as parents is try to keep them calm and distract them, so we can slow their breathing down."
Nikki then shares a disturbing clip of her little boy breathing before and after using the birthday candle technique.
Beforehand, his breathing sounds very noisy, scary and laboured. ?Afterward, the little boy is much less distressed and more relaxed.
?"If I hadn't of used this technique, we probably would have been calling an ambulance."
Nikki then demonstrated how to carry out the technique with her young son. Holding an unlit birthday candle, she teaches him to blow it out. 'You breathe in for four, then slowly out for four'?.
"Do this to avoid an ambulance or if severe, while you wait for one to arrive!"?
Parents loved the tip, tagging friends and thanking Nikki for sharing it. ?
"Such a good hack! We now keep Ventolin on hand at all times too. It helps my kids a lot as they get seasonal asthma from having croup so much?."
"Amazing, also blowing bubbles helps. I learnt yesterday when my baby needed physio," shared another.
"W?e had our first croup exposure this week and that noise and my two-year-old not being able to breathe scared the heck out of us. We called an ambulance and he went to hospital.
"I wished I'd known about it beforehand so we didn't overreact but it was scary!"
The Melbourne-based mum also pointed parents to a free downloadable sickness guide to help them through this "tough winter".
Here is some more information about croup from the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.?
Signs and symptoms of croup
- Croup usually begins like a normal cold, e.g. fever, runny nose and cough.
- Your child's cough will change to become harsh and barking, and might sound like a seal.
- Your child's voice may be hoarse.
- When your child breathes in, they may make a squeaky, high-pitched noise, which is called stridor.
- In severe cases of croup, the skin between the child's ribs or under their neck may suck in when they breathe, and they may struggle to breathe.
When to see a doctor
You should call an ambulance immediately if:
- Your child is struggling to breathe
- Your child looks very sick and becomes pale and drowsy
- Your child's lips are blue in colour
- Your child starts to drool or can't swallow.
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