Mini First Aid Belfast

10/10/2026

05/10/2026

Meningitis and sepsis can kill in hours, so it’s critical to know the symptoms so you can act fast.

If your child is unwell with ANY of these symptoms, go to a hospital or call for an ambulance immediately:

❗️Over 38°C in babies under three months
❗️Has a temperature and feels abnormally cold to touch/very cold hands and feet
❗️Very fast breathing, finding it much harder to breathe than normal, or noticeable pauses in breathing
❗️ Grunting and/or noises with every breath
❗️Very lethargic / difficult to wake / not responding
❗️ Fitting / convulsion / seizures
❗️Weak, high-pitched or continuous crying in a younger child
❗️Confusion or unusually irritable
❗️Soft spot on a baby’s head is bulging
❗️Stiff neck, especially when trying to look up and down
❗️Unusually sleepy, stiff or floppy baby
❗️Pale, blotchy or mottled skin - this may be harder to see on brown or black skin
❗️A rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass - the rash can be harder to see on brown or black skin. Check paler areas, such as the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, roof of the mouth, tummy, whites of the eyes or the inside of the eyelids.
❗️Not had a wee or wet nappy for 12 hours or more
❗️Very thirsty and not able to keep fluids down
❗️Bloody or black ‘coffee ground’ sick

Some of these high-risk symptoms are not typical signs of meningitis or septicaemia (sepsis) but are still signs of severe illness, so, if your child is unwell and has any of these symptoms, get urgent medical help.

Source: Meningitis Research Foundation

05/10/2026

Meningitis and sepsis can kill in hours, so it’s critical to know the symptoms so you can act fast.

If your child is unwell with ANY of these symptoms, go to a hospital or call for an ambulance immediately:

❗️Over 38°C in babies under three months
❗️Has a temperature and feels abnormally cold to touch/very cold hands and feet
❗️Very fast breathing, finding it much harder to breathe than normal, or noticeable pauses in breathing
❗️ Grunting and/or noises with every breath
❗️Very lethargic / difficult to wake / not responding
❗️ Fitting / convulsion / seizures
❗️Weak, high-pitched or continuous crying in a younger child
❗️Confusion or unusually irritable
❗️Soft spot on a baby’s head is bulging
❗️Stiff neck, especially when trying to look up and down
❗️Unusually sleepy, stiff or floppy baby
❗️Pale, blotchy or mottled skin - this may be harder to see on brown or black skin
❗️A rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass - the rash can be harder to see on brown or black skin. Check paler areas, such as the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, roof of the mouth, tummy, whites of the eyes or the inside of the eyelids.
❗️Not had a wee or wet nappy for 12 hours or more
❗️Very thirsty and not able to keep fluids down
❗️Bloody or black ‘coffee ground’ sick

Some of these high-risk symptoms are not typical signs of meningitis or septicaemia (sepsis) but are still signs of severe illness, so, if your child is unwell and has any of these symptoms, get urgent medical help.

Source: Meningitis Research Foundation

02/10/2026

Everyone should be able to go to school, head to work, eat out, travel and enjoy everyday life without feeling excluded because of a serious allergy.

This Anaphylaxis Awareness Week, 1–7 October, Anaphylaxis UK is focusing on belonging and the importance of making sure people living with serious allergies feel safe, understood and included.

Throughout the week, they’ll be sharing stories, resources and podcasts designed to increase understanding of what it’s really like to live with serious allergies and to get more of us talking about how we can make a difference.

We can all play a part. Learn more. Start conversations. Share useful information with your colleagues, friends, family, pupils or wider community. Small changes in awareness and understanding can help make everyday spaces more inclusive.

You can also show your support by taking part in , wearing something bright to stand alongside friends, family members and colleagues affected by serious allergies.

At Mini First Aid, we’re proud to support Anaphylaxis Awareness Week and help spread the message that everyone deserves to feel safe, included and part of the conversation.

02/10/2026

Symptoms of anaphylaxis usually happen rapidly and can be life-threatening. Anaphylaxis happens when your or your child's body has a serious reaction to something you or they are allergic to.

Any one or more of the following symptoms may be present - these are often referred to as the ABC symptoms.*

Airway - swelling in the throat, tongue or upper airways, hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing

Breathing - sudden onset wheezing, breathing difficulty, noisy breathing, persistent cough

Circulation - dizziness, feeling faint, sudden sleepiness, confusion, pale clammy skin, loss of consciousness or collapse

Any of the ABC symptoms may lead to collapse and unconsciousness and, on rare occasions, can be fatal.

In extreme cases there could be a dramatic fall in blood pressure. The person may become weak and floppy and may have a sense of something terrible happening.

This Anaphylaxis Awareness Week, take a few minutes to check out all of the resources and advice at , particularly if your child suffers from severe allergies or if they have a friend or classmate who does.

If you work with children or young people, take a look at our Workplace first aid courses, including our two-hour auto-injector workshop if you would like to learn more about dealing with severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.

You can also find information about our new Allergies & Anaphylaxis training for school professionals on our website in the awareness classes tab.

*Source:

29/09/2026

We're into the start of the new school year, and we can guarantee that some of you will already have had to deal with dreaded nits!

This week's blog is Charlotte's story of when her daughter came home with head lice and includes all the guidance on what to do to get rid of them!

The entire time my daughter was at nursery and primary school I dreaded the "case of head lice in your class" email or text message. But as...

23/09/2026

It's National Eye Health Week, so a great opportunity to talk about Conjunctivitis 👁️

Conjunctivitis is common in children under 5 years old. It's usually caused by infection or allergies and it can be contagious so it can easily spread around nurseries and school settings.

Swipe through the slides to take a look at some of the more common symptoms and advice on how to treat conjunctivitis.

Most instances of conjunctivitis will clear up without the need for medicine within a few weeks, but please see your GP if symptoms persist. If it's a bacterial infection, you might be prescribed antibiotics. But these will not work if it's caused by a virus (viral conjunctivitis) or an allergy.

Is this something your little one has had or is suffering with at the moment?

* All information sourced from NHS and Healthier Together

23/09/2026

23/09/2026

WEEKEND PLANS? ⛑️ 👶 💚

COME JOIN ME IN Number 5, Broughshane ON SAT…

💚 Would you know what to do?

It’s something we hope we’ll never have to think about — but when a baby or child is choking, has a seizure, suffers a burn or suddenly becomes seriously unwell, knowing what to do in those first few minutes can make such a difference.

Our Award Winning Baby & Child First Aid class is designed for parents, grandparents, carers and anyone who looks after little ones.

There are no scary tests and no previous first aid knowledge is needed. It’s a relaxed, friendly and practical 2-hour class, with plenty of opportunity to get hands-on and practise the skills we cover.

💚 Baby & child CPR
💚 Choking
💚 Burns & bleeding
💚 Seizures
💚 Anaphylaxis
💚 And lots more

Our classes are CPD accredited. The aim is simple — to help you leave feeling more knowledgeable and confident about knowing what to do if an emergency happens.

Come along on your own, with your partner, a grandparent or a friend. Babies are very welcome too.

Because you never know when you might need these skills — but you’ll never regret learning them.