Mini First Aid Belfast

49% of UK accidental drownings occur between May and August. Are you confident your child would know what to do if they fell into water or how to stay safe when playing near water?

Scroll through for some sobering statistics and facts about child drowning from

Drowning is largely preventable. Please take care to supervise small children at all times when in or near water and educate your teenagers about the dangers of swimming in rivers, lakes and estuaries.

Here are a few simple precautions and tips for water safety this summer ☀️💦

⚠️ Save this post to refer back to ⚠️

Every year, we hear stories of people losing their lives while swimming in the seas around the UK.

Some of these tragic deaths are attributed to rip tides or rip currents, as they are also known. Rip tides are strong currents of water that flow from the shore out to sea. They are powerful and quick enough to drag a person out to deeper water.

Rip currents can be challenging to spot. You can sometimes spot frothy or swirling water forming a channel from overhead, but this is more difficult to see from the shoreline.

What to do if you find yourself caught in a rip tide:

⚠️ Call loudly for help.⚠️ If you have something buoyant to hold on to like an inflatable or a surfboard, keep tight hold of it.
⚠️ DO NOT swim against the current towards the shore. This is often people’s instinct, but typically people are not strong enough to swim against a rip current.
⚠️ Swim parallel to the shoreline so that you swim out of the rip current and not against it.
⚠️ Once the rip current is no longer pulling you, swim towards the shore. Switch to swimming parallel again if you begin to feel a pull again.
⚠️ If or when you can stand, wade rather than try to swim to anchor your body.

Water safety at the beach tips:

⚠️ Choose a beach that is patrolled and monitored by lifeguards. They will look out for rip tides and be your first responders if anything happens.
⚠️ Always swim between the red and yellow flags, as this area has been designated safe to swim.
⚠️ If you see a wind sock that shows a strong wind blowing in the direction of the sea, do not take inflatables into the sea as they could be dragged out to deeper water.
⚠️ If you see anyone else in trouble, alert the lifeguards or call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

You can find out lots more about water safety and Drowning Prevention Week at Royal Life Saving Society UK - RLSS UK

💚Tiny humans. Big responsibility. 💚

Would you know what to do if your baby choked or stopped breathing? 😰

Join one of our Baby & Child First Aid Classes in June near you! 👶✨

🧠 Learn life-saving skills like:

✔ Baby & child CPR
✔ Choking response
✔ Burns, bleeding & bumps
✔ Allergies / Anaphylaxis
✔ Febrile seizures & meningitis awareness and more

👩‍👩‍👧 Perfect for parents, parents-to-be, grandparents & carers

✨ Relaxed, friendly & hands-on session — no experience needed

Because when it matters most… you’ll know exactly what to do 💪💛

🎟 Small groups… Limited spaces available

📩 DM now to book your spot or use booking links below

https://belfast.minifirstaid.co.uk/classes/classes-for-parents-carers

👇 Tag someone you’d bring with you!

The most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are:

🚽 Toilet: Going to the toilet a lot to pass urine, bed wetting by a previously dry child or heavier nappies in babies. Getting up in the night to go to the toilet.
💦 Thirsty: Being really thirsty and not being able to quench the thirst. Your child may ask for a drink more often, finish drinks very quickly or you may notice they generally drink more.
💤 Tired: Feeling more tired than usual. Having less energy than normal, not playing as often, less energy for sports
🪞 Thinner: Losing weight or looking thinner than usual.

If your child has any of the signs or symptoms of diabetes, you should take them straight to the doctor and ask for a blood glucose test.

We don't only do first aid classes for parents at Mini First Aid, we offer a full range of first aid workplace training including courses for those of you who need a first aid qualification for your job.

We're looking at you teachers, childminders, nursery workers, health & safety workers, nannies, personal trainers, firefighters, flight attendants....everyone who needs certification!

We offer in-person and blended learning options for full flexibility and we are FAIB accredited.

Like our parent first aid classes, our qualification courses are practical and hands-on as we know this is the best way to learn and remember what you have been taught.

If your certification is coming up for renewal, or you need to get started with a qualification, drop us a message or check the classes tab on our website for info on courses in your area.

💻 https://belfast.minifirstaid.co.uk/classes/workplace-first-aid-courses

First Aid Qualification, First Aid At Work, Emergency First Aid At Work, Paediatric First Aid

From Monday 15 June, there will be a temporary change to the opening hours of our Phone First Urgent Care Centre at Lagan Valley Hospital.

The service will operate from 8am–4pm, Monday- Friday (previously 8am–6pm).

Thank you