It is the morning after a party. The saloon has not been turned around yet, there are half-full glasses on the coffee table at exactly toddler height, and a three-year-old is up before her parents. Meanwhile on the aft deck another child has been in the sun since ten, has drunk nothing, and has gone very quiet.
Sun and Heat Illness
Children overheat faster than adults, burn faster, and often will not say so.
- Look for: hot flushed skin or unusually pale clammy skin, headache, dizziness, nausea, irritability, confusion, drowsiness, a child who stops playing.
- Do FIRST: get them out of the sun and into shade or air conditioning, raise the alarm, tell the parents, get the trained responder. Confusion or drowsiness means telemedical advice now.
Dehydration and Seasickness
Seasickness is misery, but repeated vomiting in a small child causes dehydration quickly.
| Look for | Note |
|---|---|
| Dry mouth, no tears, sunken eyes | Classic dehydration signs |
| Not passing urine, dark urine | Escalate |
| Floppy, listless, hard to rouse | Serious. Alarm and doctor |
Do FIRST: cool, shaded, ventilated position, sips of fluid if the child is fully alert and able to drink, and tell the parents. Never give any medication to a child. Anything from the medical stores is the decision of the designated medical person on telemedical advice.
Febrile Illness
A sick, hot, floppy child at sea is a reason to call the doctor early, not to wait and see. Look for: a rash that does not fade under pressure, a stiff neck, dislike of light, a fit, unusual drowsiness, or a child who simply is not right. Do FIRST: parents, trained responder, bridge, telemedical advice. This course gives no dosages, no diagnoses and no thresholds. That is the doctor job.
Poisoning
The yacht is full of things a child should never reach:
- Cleaning chemicals in unlocked lazarettes, pantries and heads.
- Medication: guest, crew and the medical locker itself.
- Alcohol left in glasses after a party. This is a genuine and serious paediatric poisoning at sea.
- Fuel, engine room and lazarette chemicals.
Do FIRST: take the substance away, keep the container or bottle, raise the alarm, tell the bridge, and get telemedical advice immediately, taking the container to the phone. Do not try to make a child vomit. Do not give anything to drink unless a doctor tells you to.
Onboard Notes
- Clear the glasses before the crew go to bed, not in the morning.
- Chemicals locked, medication locked, medical locker locked.
- A quiet child in the sun, or a floppy child below, is a child you escalate.
- Preparatory study only. Awareness, not first aid training. This course teaches no techniques and does not qualify you to treat a child. A current, practically assessed paediatric first aid certificate from an approved provider is required.