ST JOHN Ambulance has launched Nursery Rhymes Inc – a campaign to teach parents and the wider public how to help a baby who has stopped breathing.

New research shows this is the first-aid emergency parents are most worried about, yet only a third know how to help.

Nursery Rhymes Inc teaches baby CPR in a short, clear and reassuring way to help parents remember what to do in an emergency.

The campaign features everyone’s favourite nursery rhyme characters who’ve come together to create a memorable rhyme to explain the technique. Incy Wincy Spider, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, and the Cat and the Fiddle will be appearing in a TV advert struggling to write the rhyme – though they have more luck in the longer online version, which promises to make baby CPR truly unforgettable in just two minutes with a catchy song.

And to support the campaign, St John Ambulance is putting on special baby first-aid courses for parents, parents-to-be, and carers in Farnham on Saturday, February 27. The cost is £25.

Nursery Rhymes Inc follows on from last year’s award-winning The Chokeables, which taught parents how to help a choking baby and is credited with saving the lives of 46 children since its launch. The video, which has had more than 10 million views online, forms part of the charity’s vision that everyone should know first aid.

The characters of Nursery Rhymes Inc explain the steps to saving a baby who’s unconscious and not breathing. These are:

*  Call 999/112 for an ambulance. If you’re on your own, you need to give one minute’s worth of CPR before you can call for help, taking your baby with you;

* Five puffs. Put your lips around their mouth and nose and blow steadily for up to one second. Give five puffs in total;

* 30 pumps. Using two fingers in the centre of the chest, give 30 pumps at a rate of 100-120 per minute;

* Repeat, but with two puffs and 30 pumps until help arrives.

The 40-second version of the video was launched last month during Coronation Street, with the extended version launched online and on St John Ambulance’s social media sites on the same day.

To find the nearest baby first-aid course, or to watch more first-aid videos and get advice, visit sja.org.uk/nurseryrhymesinc or to book on a course call 0303 003 0101.