Pediatric CPR
Certified in pediatric CPR, with hands that practiced for it.
Every caregiver on AfterDoula holds a current pediatric CPR and first aid certification from the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross, earned in a hands-on skills session.
Everyone who is alone with your baby should hold one too. Here is why, and where.
The certification
What every caregiver on AfterDoula holds.
A pediatric CPR and first aid certification from the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross, earned with an in-person skills session. Online-only certificates do not count.
The certification covers infant and child CPR, choking relief, an AED, and first aid for the emergencies most likely with a baby. It lasts two years.
We check it with the issuer before the first booking. The profile shows the issuer, the expiry date, and the date we checked. A lapsed certification pauses bookings until it is renewed.
The AfterDoula app
We see the gap. We’re solving it.
Pick a caregiver by the background check date, the CPR certification, and a meet before you book.
Why everyone
Four hours, for anyone who is alone with him.
A night nanny is with you a few nights a week. The rest of the time it is you, your partner, a grandmother, a sitter. The American Academy of Pediatrics says all parents and caregivers can benefit from learning CPR.
94.3%
of 720 infant cardiac arrests in a North American registry happened at home. Fewer than half got CPR before the ambulance.
Resuscitation, 2016
3 minutes
from the 911 call. CPR that soon nearly doubled the odds of survival among 10,991 US children whose hearts stopped outside a hospital.
Circulation: Population Health Outcomes, 2026
2 in 3
children who die from choking are babies under a year old.
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2026
3,400
babies under one die suddenly and unexpectedly in the US each year.
CDC, 2026
- American Academy of Pediatrics: when your child needs emergency medical services
- American Academy of Pediatrics: choking prevention
- American Heart Association: infant CPR
- Fink and others, Resuscitation, 2016: infant cardiac arrest at home
- Abdel Jawad and others, 2026: bystander CPR timing and survival in children
What the training covers
Recognize, call, act, until help arrives.
The class teaches you to recognize a baby who is unresponsive or choking, and what to do until help arrives.
- Unresponsive, not breathing or only gasping
- Shout for help, call 911, start CPR. 30 compressions, 1.5 inches deep, 100 to 120 a minute, then 2 gentle breaths.
- Choking, with a weak or silent cough and no cry
- 5 back blows, then 5 chest thrusts. Repeat until the object comes out or he goes limp. Then start CPR. Never abdominal thrusts on an infant.
Where
Where to get certified, by city.
A classroom course that certifies you runs about $50 to $110. A parents’ class with a manikin and no certificate runs $15 to $55. Both class finders list courses by ZIP code. Prices below were read on 2026-10-03.
- American Heart Association class finder
- American Red Cross class finder
- AHA Infant CPR Anytime kitA manikin and a 20-minute video to share around the house, $45. No certificate.
Boise
- St. Luke’s Infant Safety and CPR class$15, for parents and grandparents, no certificate.
- Idaho Medical Academy, Pediatric CPR, AED, and First Aid$50, AHA certification for two years.
- Saint Alphonsus, CPR for Family and Friends$20, no certificate.
Missoula
- Missoula Fire Department Heartsaver CPR$50 with the AHA certification, first and third Wednesday.
- Lifelong Learning Center, Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED$100, certification for two years.
Bozeman
- Bozeman Health Training Center, Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED$21 online plus a $75 skills session, AHA certification.
- Bighorn Fire Academy, pediatric CPR and first aidAHA; call for dates and price.
Seattle
- Seattle Fire Department Medic 2, Adult, Child, and Infant CPR and AED$30, Health and Safety Institute certification for two years.
- Seattle Children’s Babysafe with Infant CPR$129 for two people from one household, no certificate.
- CPR Seattle, CPR and AED for Parents and Families$55, no certificate.
Before the first night
Who in the house is certified: you, your partner, the grandparent who stays Tuesdays.
Where each certificate is, or a photo of it on your phone.
The pediatrician’s number and after-hours line, by the phone and in the House Brief.
Your address, written out, by the phone.
Questions
Is my caregiver certified?
Yes. The profile shows the issuer, the expiry date, and the date we checked it with the issuer. Online-only certificates do not count.
Should grandparents be certified?
Yes, if a grandparent is ever alone with the baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics asks that anyone who sits with your child knows CPR. A parents’ class takes an afternoon.
What about an online-only course?
The Red Cross says many workplaces refuse its own online-only course, and Idaho, Montana, and Washington refuse it for licensed child care. Take a classroom course, or an online course with an in-person skills session.
What happens if the baby stops breathing?
The caregiver starts infant CPR, calls 911, and wakes you. If you are the one in the room, the class puts the same minutes in your hands.
The AfterDoula appBoise, January 2027
Be in the app the day Boise opens.
Leave your details and we send the download link, then match you with caregivers whose checks are complete.
Every caregiver on AfterDoula: a background check with the date on the profile, current pediatric CPR certification, safe sleep training, and a meet before you book.
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