Pediatric Emergencies, Vol. 1; Play It Safe: Making Playtime Safe For Your Child; Your Complete Guide To CPR

Three new health-related videos emphasize safety and emergency treatment for children. Pediatric Emergencies, a relatively low-budget production, aimed at informing parents on what to do in case of a medical emergency, offers straightforward advice from doctors and paramedics on what information 911 operators and EMTs need, how to communicate with a seriously injured child, and a review of clearing obstructed airways and performing CPR for infants and children. Specific emergencies covered include: seizures, drowning, overdose and poisonings, burns and electrical injuries, head and spinal cord injuries, and motor vehicle accidents. Some of the segments (such as the in-depth look at causes of burns in children) are quite good, others--such as the segment on seizures--include more technical jargon than is necessary (perhaps because the doctors are speaking unrehearsed). While not as good as Child Safety at Home (reviewed in our September 1992 issue), Pediatric Emergencies, Vol. 1 goes into more depth on some subjects and would complement the other tape.Play It Safe: Making Playtime Safe for Your Child is a nicely produced program that takes parents on a wide-ranging tour of potential problem areas for their infants and children. The program covers crib safety, shopping for toys, choosing safe arts and crafts projects for youngsters at home, biking safety, pool safety, playground safety, and safety away from home. The program concludes with a helpful listing of organizations parents can turn to for further information and guidelines. The specific focus on "play" makes this tape somewhat different from generic child safety videos. And, at $59.95, much more expensive. But the information is good and presented well (with the exception of a remark that "wrestling" with your kids can lead to "trauma"--which parents are liable to interpret in the pop psychology sense rather than the strict medical sense of "injury;" and an admonishment by one mother to make sure the sitter "boils the toys" if other children have been playing with them, which sounds rather extreme).Your Complete Guide to CPR is also a very good course in clearing obstructed airways and performing CPR on infants, children, and adults. Step-by-step instruction and onscreen text reminders provide solid instruction, and demonstrators Karen Bray and Mike Wiedeman do an excellent job of showing viewers the do's and don'ts of CPR. The program uses the latest guidelines from the American Heart Association; it also carries a higher price tag than many similar titles currently available. On the other hand, the 40-page illustrated companion booklet that comes with the tape offers comprehensive supplementary information, and the whole package would make a strong addition to a current health collection.Pediatric Emergencies, Vol. 1 is recommended for libraries looking for extra titles in this area and those without similar fare. Play It Safe and Your Complete Guide to CPR are both highly recommended for larger collections. (R. Pitman)