How to save a child’s life
Luckily, Jenni Dunman, 39, from Sutton, Surrey, knew exactly what to do in an emergency, but it changed her life in other ways. She explains…
What every parent should know
My friend Kirsty and I were catching up in Starbucks with her daughter Maisy, then two, and my daughter Lottie, three. As Kirsty and I sat chatting over lattes, the girls nibbled on some biscuits.
Suddenly, Kirsty let out a scream. Maisy was choking on a piece of cookie, a look of wide-eyed panic on her face. The packed coffee shop fell quiet, and Kirsty froze, paralysed by fear and not knowing what to do.
Fortunately, as a police officer, I did. I grabbed Maisy and struck her twice hard between her shoulder blades. It must have looked pretty alarming, even violent, to everyone
looking on, but the piece of cookie came flying out. Maisy started to cry as her mum gathered her up in her arms.
‘Thank goodness you were here,’ Kirsty sobbed.
That evening, I told my husband Chris what had happened.
‘If I hadn’t been there, I don’t think anyone would have known what to do,’ I told him, shaken as the reality of what could have happened sank in.
At the time, I was on maternity leave from my job with the Metropolitan Police with the youngest of my three kids, Benny, now six. Working in the force was the most amazing job, but along with my other children, Daisy, now 11, and Lottie, nine, I was beginning to have doubts about whether I could continue to juggle it all in the long term.
I went online and discovered there were no first aid classes for people like Kirsty, who might want to learn the basics in an enjoyable way, and at a time and place to suit them.
‘Maybe I should do it,’ I said to Chris. From that, my company Daisy First Aid was born. I named it after my daughter, who I’d also saved from choking when she was younger, after she swallowed a lollipop when the stick came off.
I held my first class in my local leisure
Just 5% of adults have the skills and confidence to provide first aid in an emergency situation. Each day in the UK, around 40 under-fives are rushed to hospital after choking on something.
centre, inviting parents to come along, bringing their little ones along, too. It was a success; word soon spread and, four years on, there are now 90 Daisy First
Aid franchises across Britain.
The classes are for anyone involved in looking after children, and a lot of parents recommend the course to grandparents, too. We cover the most common emergencies such as choking, febrile seizures (convulsions caused by fever) and burns. We also do classes for groups of friends, at local venues or their own houses. We’ve even taught first aid to some well-known parents, such as Christine Lampard and Ronan Keating.
The Daisy team and I get so many thank you messages from people who have found themselves using the skills they’ve learnt on our courses – and we cry every time we read them. As parents ourselves, we understand the terror, and then relief, those families have felt. One mum who’d done our classes swung into action when her child choked on a chunk of melon. She’s so passionate about spreading the word that she’s since qualified as a trainer herself.
It’s an incredible feeling, knowing that you’re helping to save lives.
• For further information on classes and training, visit daisyfirstaid.com