What does infant resuscitation look like?
Applies to age: 0–12 months
In short
When someone's life is at risk, you can call 999 (the ambulance number in Poland) or 112 (the emergency number in Poland). Infant resuscitation: 5 rescue breaths, compressions with two fingers, 2 breaths after every 30 compressions.
What is normal
All claims: international norm
- Look, listen and feel for normal breathing for no more than 10 seconds before deciding that the child is not breathing.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Look, listen and feel for no more than 10 seconds before deciding that they're not breathing.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- Gasping breaths are not normal breathing.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Gasping breaths should not be considered to be normal breathing.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
What you can do now
All claims: international norm
- Check the child's response: gently tap the child on the arm and ask loudly if everything is all right.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Gently tap your child's arm and ask loudly: "Are you alright?"
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- For a child under 1 year of age, place the head in a neutral position, with the head and neck in line.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Ensure the head is in a neutral position, with the head and neck in line.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- If the child is not breathing or is breathing rarely and irregularly, give 5 initial rescue breaths (mouth-to-mouth).
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Give 5 initial rescue breaths (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation).
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- For rescue breaths in an infant under 1 year of age, cover the child's mouth and nose with your mouth, making a tight seal.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Take a breath, then cover your baby's mouth and nose with your mouth, making sure it's sealed.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- Blow air steadily into the infant's mouth and nose over 1 second.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Blow a breath steadily into the baby's mouth and nose over 1 second.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- Chest compressions are combined with rescue breaths: 2 breaths after every 30 compressions.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Combine chest compressions with rescue breaths, providing 2 breaths after every 30 compressions.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- For an infant under 1 year of age, press on the breastbone with the tips of two fingers, not with the whole hand or both hands.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Do the compressions on the breastbone with the tips of 2 fingers, do not use the whole hand or both hands.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- Each compression in an infant should go down 4 cm, which is about one third of the depth of the chest, and then release the pressure.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Push down 4cm, which is approximately one-third of the chest depth, then release and allow the chest to come back up.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
- The rate of compressions is about 100 to 120 per minute.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Release the pressure, allowing the chest to come back up, then rapidly repeat at a rate of about 100 to 120 compressions a minute.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
When to worry
Some claims: international norm
- Cardiac arrest is a situation in which you call an emergency medical team (ZRM).
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
zatrzymanie akcji serca
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [2]
- Loss of consciousness is a situation in which you call an emergency medical team (ZRM).
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
utrata przytomności
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [2]
- A child who is unresponsive and not breathing normally needs resuscitation started right away and immediate medical help.
Source: NHS · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
If a baby or child is unresponsive and not breathing normally, call 999 and start CPR straight away.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [1]
ER / 112 (Poland)
- When someone's life is at risk, you can call the emergency number 999 (the ambulance number in Poland) or 112 (the emergency number in Poland).
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Jeśli potrzebujesz natychmiastowej pomocy, bo zagrożone jest Twoje lub czyjeś życie, możesz zadzwonić pod jeden z dwóch numerów ratunkowych: 999 lub 112.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [2]
- When you call for an ambulance, the medical dispatcher will tell you how to give first aid.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
dyspozytor medyczny powie Ci, jak udzielić pierwszej pomocy
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-11-04 · license [2]
international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.
Sources
- NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS.
- Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.