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Practical Skills

Nosebleeds, Bites, and Choking: What to Do

Ages 8–12 25 min read Beginner

A kid gets a nosebleed at school. Someone steps on a bee. A toddler puts something in their mouth and starts gagging. These situations are common, scary in the moment, and almost always manageable if you know what to do.

Nosebleeds

  1. Sit the person up and lean them slightly forward (NOT back — leaning back causes blood to flow into the throat).
  2. Pinch the soft part of the nose (just below the bony bridge) firmly.
  3. Hold for 10 minutes without releasing. Time it — it feels longer than you think.
  4. After 10 minutes, release gently. If still bleeding, pinch for another 10 minutes.
  5. Seek medical help if bleeding continues beyond 20 minutes.

Insect Bites and Stings

Bee Sting:

  1. Remove the stinger by scraping sideways with a flat edge (credit card). Don't squeeze with tweezers — this injects more venom.
  2. Apply a cold pack to reduce swelling.
  3. Monitor for allergic reaction (see below).

Tick:

  1. Do NOT squeeze, scratch, or use chemicals on an attached tick. In Australia, this can cause the tick to inject more allergen.
  2. Kill the tick in place using a permethrin-based cream or freeze spray, then remove once dead.
  3. Seek medical advice, especially in tick-prone areas of eastern Australia.

Anaphylaxis (Severe Allergic Reaction):

Signs: swelling of face/throat, difficulty breathing, dizziness, rapid pulse. This is a life-threatening emergency.

  1. If the person has an EpiPen, help them use it (inject into outer mid-thigh).
  2. Call 000 immediately.
  3. Lay the person flat (or sitting up if breathing is difficult).
  4. Stay with them until help arrives.

Choking

If the person CAN cough:

Encourage them to keep coughing. Coughing is the body's best method for clearing an airway. Do not interfere.

If the person CANNOT cough, speak, or breathe:

  1. Give 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades (heel of hand, leaning the person forward).
  2. If that doesn't work: 5 chest thrusts (similar position to CPR compressions).
  3. Alternate: 5 back blows, 5 chest thrusts.
  4. If the person becomes unconscious, begin CPR and call 000.

Note for infants: Use gentle back blows while supporting the baby face-down on your forearm. Never use abdominal thrusts on infants.

Tonight's Question

"Quick — someone is choking and can't breathe. What do you do? Can everyone in the family walk through the steps?"

First Aid Scenarios

  1. Create cards with different first aid scenarios (nosebleed, bee sting, choking, etc.).
  2. Draw a card. Walk through the correct response.
  3. Others check: is the response correct? Anything missing?
  4. Practise back blows on each other (gently! — practise the motion, not the force).
  5. Know where the EpiPen is if anyone in the family has severe allergies.

Go Further

  • Research: Tick allergy in Australia — why is tick anaphylaxis a growing concern on the east coast?
  • Skill: Learn to use an EpiPen (training devices are available from pharmacies).
  • Course: A hands-on first aid course teaches these skills with realistic practice.
  • Question: Should every school and workplace have EpiPens available?

What We Simplified

  • Tick advice varies by region. The "kill in place" method is recommended in Australia but differs from advice in other countries.
  • Choking protocols differ for infants, children, and adults. We provided general guidance. Age-specific training is recommended.
  • Allergies are complex. Some people have mild reactions that don't require an EpiPen. Always follow the person's existing action plan if they have one.

Sources

  • ASCIA (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy). "Anaphylaxis." ASCIA
  • St John Ambulance. "Choking." St John
  • Tick-Induced Allergies Research and Awareness (TiARA). TiARA

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