On Sunday the 14th of May, the UK celebrated National Children’s Day, a day where we pay tribute to the little ones in our lives whether they be our sons, daughters, nieces, nephews or friends.

As our contribution to the day, we thought we’d chat with our very own defibshop Ambassador and Olympian Zoe Gillings-Brier who last year welcomed first child Lea into the world.

In this exclusive interview, we discuss with Zoe the importance of first aid and how you can stay prepared in every situation to keep your little one safe.

• Hi Zoe! The 14^thof May marks National Children Day, how has your life changed since becoming a mum?

It’s definitely gotten a lot busier! It also feels fuller though and I wouldn’t change it.

• Are you more aware of the safety procedures put into place at shopping centres, playgroups and other public areas?

Yes definitely, I feel as though I’ve become more aware of safety in general since having Lea. I’ve gotten into the habit of thinking about things from a child’s perspective; this helps me to make sure places are safe for my little one who is a lot more vulnerable than me.

• How important do you think it is for these places to be equipped with a defibrillator for public access?

Very important. As a defibshop Ambassador I make it my mission to ensure I always have one close by when training, but in public environments it should be a standard piece of equipment.

• You gained a Paediatric First Aid Training Qualification with us in 2016, do you feel you would be more confident now to take action in the event of a first aid emergency?

For sure! I think it’s so important to understand to know what action to take, you don’t want to do the wrong thing, but I actually know what to do now!

• How important do you think it is for parents to learn these life-saving skills?

I think it’s extremely important as these are very basic life-saving skills. I have already suggested taking a course to every parent I know. I would hate to be in a situation where my child or someone else's child was sick or injured and not know what to do when I could have easily taken a course to learn. 

• Finally, is there any advice you’d give to other mums and parents regarding childcare and safety?

Learn all you can about what to do in an emergency, hopefully you’ll never need the skills but if you do you’ll be happy you have them.

We hope this interview has inspired you to consider gaining a Paediatric First Aid qualification, to give you the essential skills to take action in the event of an emergency.

How will you be celebrating National Children’s Day? Do you already have first aid qualifications? Or what would you inspire you more to gain these skills? These are questions we’d love for you to answer over on our twitter feed, get in touch with us @defibshop.