Almost 60% of parents still don?t know how to save their child?s life

New research commissioned by Tesco reveals that a shocking high percentage of new parents would not know what to do in an emergency to save their child’s life.

In fact, the survey of 2,500 mums has revealed less than 10% of new parents have had any child first aid training in the past 12 months, and almost a quarter (24%) admit that they badly need a refresher course.

And although 27% of parents say they have had to cope with a choking incident, an astounding 60% did not feel confident in dealing with the situation

Parents feel less confident about dealing with incidents involving chemical ingestion, yet nearly 16,000 children are taken to hospital each year following suspected poisoning by liquid.

An overwhelming 76% of mums say that parenthood is more worrying than they thought, with the highest response from those with babies up to 6 month’s old.

The latest figures suggest more than 416,000 children under five have accidents inside the home – with more than 191,000 of them falling, slipping or tripping, and some 3,000 cases of meningitis result in 300 deaths every year.

To help parents gain confidence and learn basic first aid skills that could save their baby?s life, Tesco Baby & Toddler Club has launched a Babysafe seminar roadshow.

Although Tesco already have a detailed pregnancy guide and safety advice on the website, Tesco are now sponsoring 20 free two hour seminars on child safety, which are being held in towns around the UK, where parents can come along and learn vital life-saving skills as well as pick up baby advice.

Run by The Royal Lifesaving Society UK experts for Tesco Baby & Toddler Club, the seminars have been especially designed to help parents cope with babies and young children in an emergency. The subjects covered include teaching them basic resuscitation techniques, the recovery position, what to do if a child drowns, choking, bleeding, burns, scalds, knowing about meningitis and what to look for and basic car-safety tips.

Supporting the campaign, leading TV doctor, Dr Hilary Jones, says: ?As a parent your first priority is the safety of your child which is why it is so important for parents to feel confident and better prepared in the event of having to handle the more unsavoury part of parenthood ? the medical emergency. These BabySafe seminars will give parents the skills that could help save their child?s life.?