What is an Infant CPR Manikin?
A CPR manikin is a piece of medical equipment designed to help students – be they medical professionals or regular citizens – practice CPR techniques in a semi-realistic way. Usually made mostly out of plastic, they are shaped like human bodies so that students can practice CPR and life-saving techniques such as chest compressions and ventilation on something which actually looks and feels (at least somewhat) human. Infant or baby CPR manikins are just the same but the models are designed to resemble babies so that students can practice doing the techniques on a smaller body.
Adult, child, and baby first aid manikins are available, some are just torsos and some are full body manikins. Baby CPR manikins come in a range of varieties with different features. Some might have audio prompts to help people doing first aid and CPR courses to get familiar with the steps of the procedure they’re doing on the infant doll. Others may have articulated limbs, torsos that rise and fall with ‘breath’, or be adapted toward AED practice.
Baby CPR manikins come in a range of skin colors and weighs and can often be purchased as single units or multipacks.
Baby CPR manikins that give feedback are particularly good for helping students gain the confidence they need to save an infant’s life when the pressure is on. It’s one thing to practice in a classroom and know CPR techniques in theory, quite another when you’re actually confronted with a suffering baby, so it’s best to at least make the in-classroom experience as realistic as possible so that you can be mentally prepared.