CPR - infant

CPR is best done by someone trained in an accredited CPR course. The newest techniques emphasize compression over rescue breathing and airway, reversing long-standing practice.

All parents and those who take care of children should learn infant and child CPR. See cpr.heart.org/en/course-catalog-search for classes near you. The procedures described here are not a substitute for CPR training.

Time is very important when dealing with an unconscious baby who is not breathing. Permanent brain damage begins after only 4 minutes without oxygen, and death can occur as soon as 4 to 6 minutes later.

Machines called automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be found in many public places, and are available for home use. These machines have pads or paddles to place on the chest during a life-threatening emergency. They automatically check the heart rhythm and give a sudden shock if, and only if, that shock is needed to get the heart back into the right rhythm. Make sure the AED can be used on infants. When using an AED, follow the instructions exactly.

There are many things that cause an infant's heartbeat and breathing to stop. Some reasons you may need to do CPR on an infant include:

• Choking
• Drowning
• Electrical shock
• Excessive bleeding
• Head trauma or other serious injury
• Lung disease
• Poisoning
• Suffocation

CPR should be done if the infant has the following symptoms:

• No breathing
• No pulse
• Unconsciousness

1. Check for alertness. Shout the baby's name if you know it. If not, you should shout, "ARE YOU OK"? If the baby does not respond, tap the bottom of the infant's foot. See if the infant moves or makes a noise. Never shake an infant. Spend no more than 10 seconds trying to get the baby's attention.

2. If there is no response, shout for help. Tell someone to call 911 or the local emergency number and get an AED, if available. Do not leave the infant alone to call 911 or the local emergency number until you have done CPR for about 2 minutes.

3. Carefully place the infant on its back. Place the infant on a firm surface, if possible. If there is a chance the infant has a spinal injury, two people should move the infant to prevent the head and neck from twisting.

4. Give 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths:

• Wrap your hands around the baby's body with your thumbs placed side-by-side on the center of the baby's chest, just below the nipple line.
• Use your other fingers to wrap around the baby's chest toward the back, providing support.
• Using both thumbs at the same time, press down hard and fast on the infant's chest about 1 ½ inches (4 cm).
• If you are unable to compress the baby's chest far enough with your hands wrapped around the chest, place the heel of one hand on the breastbone -- just below the nipples.
• Give 30 chest compressions. Each time, let the chest rise completely after each compression. These compressions should be fast and hard with no pausing. Count the 30 compressions quickly: "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30, off."

5. Open the airway. Lift up the chin with one hand. At the same time, tilt the head by pushing down on the forehead back with the other hand.

6. Look, listen, and feel for breathing. Place your ear close to the infant's mouth and nose. Watch for chest movement. Feel for breath on your cheek.

7. If the infant is not breathing:

• Cover the infant's mouth and nose tightly with your mouth.
• Or, cover just the nose with your mouth. Hold the infant's mouth shut.
• Keep the chin lifted and head tilted.
• Give 2 rescue breaths. Each breath should take about a second and make the chest rise. Allow the air to exit after each breath.

8. Use a chest compression rate of 100 to 120 per minute. Pauses in chest compressions should be less than 10 seconds. Infants undergoing CPR should receive 2 breaths after every 30 chest compressions if there is a single rescuer. If there are two rescuers, the infant should receive the 2 breaths after every 15 chest compressions. Keep rechecking for breathing until help arrives.

9. Continue to give 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths until:

• The infant recovers.
• The AED is ready to use.
• Help arrives.
• You have performed 2 minutes of CPR (5 sets of 30 compressions and 2 breaths) and you are alone and need to call 911 or the local emergency number.

Avoid making the situation worse by following these tips:

• Do not lift the infant's chin while tilting the head back to move the tongue away from the windpipe. If you think the baby has a spinal injury, pull the jaw forward without moving the head or neck. Do not let the mouth close.
• If the infant has normal breathing, coughing, or movement, do not begin chest compressions. Doing so may cause the heart to stop beating.
• Unless you are a health care professional, do not check for a pulse. Only a health care professional is properly trained to check for a pulse.

Steps to take if you are with another person or if you are alone with an infant:

• If you have help, tell one person to call 911 or the local emergency number while another person begins CPR.
• If you are alone, shout loudly for help and begin CPR. After doing CPR for about 2 minutes, if no help has arrived, call 911 or the local emergency number. You may carry the infant with you to the nearest phone (unless you suspect a spinal injury).

Most infants need CPR because of a preventable accident. The following tips may help prevent some accidents in infants:

• Never underestimate what an infant can do. Assume the baby can move more than you think.
• Never leave an infant unattended on a bed, table, or other surface from which the infant could roll off.
• Always use safety straps on high chairs and strollers. Never leave an infant in a mesh playpen with one side down. Follow the guidelines for using infant car seats.
• Teach your baby the meaning of "don't touch". The earliest safety lesson is "No!"
• Choose age-appropriate toys. Do not give infants toys that are heavy or fragile. Inspect toys for small or loose parts, sharp edges, points, loose batteries, and other hazards.
• Create a safe environment. Watch infants carefully, particularly around water and near furniture.
• Keep toxic chemicals and cleaning solutions safely stored in childproof cabinets in their original containers with labels attached.
• To reduce the risk for choking accidents, make sure infants and small children cannot reach buttons, watch batteries, popcorn, coins, grapes, or nuts.
• Sit with an infant while they eat. Do not allow an infant to crawl around while eating or drinking from a bottle.
• Never tie pacifiers, jewelry, chains, bracelets, or anything else around an infant's neck or wrists.

Rescue breathing and chest compressions - infant; Resuscitation - cardiopulmonary - infant; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation - infant

American Heart Association website. Highlights of the 2025 American Heart Association guidelines for CPR and ECC. cpr.heart.org/-/media/CPR-Files/2025-documents-for-cpr-heart-edits-posting/Resuscitation-Science/252500_Hghlghts_2025ECCGuidelines.pdf?sc_lang=en. Accessed February 10, 2026.

Cao D, Arens AM, Chow SL, et al. Part 10: Adult and pediatric special circumstances of resuscitation: 2025 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation. 2025;152(16_suppl_2):S578-S672. PMID: 41122889 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41122889/.

Joyner BL Jr, Dewan M, Bavare A, et al, eds. Part 6: Pediatric basic life support: 2025 American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation. 2025 Oct 21;152(16_suppl_2):S424-S447. Epub 2025 Oct 22. PMID: 41122891 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41122891/.

Updated by: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.