Thirty minutes with a stuffed animal and a first-aid kit. Practice pressing on a cut, covering it, and the words to say to 911, using today's advice, not 1911's.
Dad Field Manual editors · Drafted with AI help · Published Oct 15, 2026
A stuffed animal with a red marker "cut" on an arm or legHave
Gauze pads and a roller bandage, or a clean cloth and a strip of fabricHave / $10
Disposable gloves (optional)Have / $5
A play phone or an unplugged phone for the 911 practiceHave
Where: A table, a stuffed animal and a first-aid kit.
Before you start
Practice on a stuffed animal, never on a person's real limb. Don't wrap anything tight on a child.
In a real emergency call 911 first. Blood spurting or flowing without stopping, or about half a soda can of blood, needs 911 right away.
Don't practice a tourniquet. Tourniquets are for trained people; take a Red Cross or Stop the Bleed class.
02Steps
Look in the kit
TogetherOpen the first-aid kit and name each item: gauze pads, roller bandage, tape, gloves. Say what each is for.
Big or small?
DadSay: "Big bleeding means blood that spurts or keeps flowing, or about half a soda can of blood. That's a 911 call." Anything smaller is a minor cut. The kid points to which one the stuffed animal has.
Press on it
KidPut a gauze pad or clean cloth on the red mark and press firmly and steadily with both hands. Count slowly to 60. Don't lift it to peek.
Cover it
Dad showsKid copiesWrap the roller bandage over the pad, snug but not tight. If "blood" soaks through, put another pad on top and don't take the first one off. Then check that the fingers or toes are warm and the right color.
Call 911
TogetherPractice the call. Say: "I'm at [address]. A person is bleeding a lot. We are pressing on it." Stay on the line and do what the operator says.
Minor cuts
TogetherFor a small cut, once the bleeding stops, wash it gently with soap and water for about 5 minutes, then cover it with a bandage. Call the pediatrician if it's longer than half an inch, deep, dirty or gaping.
03If it stalls
If a child gets squeamish, switch to the kit tour and name the items instead.
Do the practice a few times a year. It's a skill that fades.
Put your address on the outside of the kit so a caller reads it out correctly.
04Variations
Ages 3–5
Just the kit tour, and bandaging the stuffed animal with a sticky bandage.
Ages 6–9
The full plan.
Ages 10+
Add a Red Cross or Stop the Bleed class together, and run the practice with a timer.
A field card like this one for the weekend, one quick plan for a weeknight, and nothing else. Free. The first letter hasn't gone out yet. Sign up now and you'll get it.
One weekend plan every Friday. We never sell your address, and every letter has a one-click unsubscribe. See a sample issue · Privacy
1911 scouting handbook, pp. 266–268. The 1911 book says a wound should never be washed and should be covered with a sterile dressing, that firm bandage pressure stops ordinary bleeding, and that for severe bleeding you press on the artery with your fingers and make a tourniquet from a handkerchief and a stick, loosening it after an hour. Project Gutenberg (public domain in the USA) Checked Oct 15, 2026
Life-threatening bleeding today. The American Red Cross says bleeding may be life-threatening when the blood equals about half a soda can, or when blood flows continuously or spurts. Call 9-1-1, apply direct pressure to the wound, and use a tourniquet only if trained, for life-threatening bleeding on an arm or leg. American Red Cross Checked Oct 15, 2026
Dressings and checking circulation. The American Red Cross says that if blood soaks through the original gauze pad you can put another pad on top without removing the first, and that after bandaging you check the skin farthest from the heart for temperature, color and feeling. American Red Cross Checked Oct 15, 2026
Minor cuts at home. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to press a clean gauze pad or cloth firmly on a cut for 5 to 10 minutes without lifting it to check, then wash it gently with soap and water for about 5 minutes and cover it if it may get dirty. Call the pediatrician for a cut more than half an inch long, deep or gaping. American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) Checked Oct 15, 2026
Dad Field Manual · Field card 76 · Classic Field Skills
First aid: press, cover, call
Thirty minutes with a stuffed animal and a first-aid kit. Practice pressing on a cut, covering it, and the words to say to 911, using today's advice, not 1911's.
Time
30 min
Cost
About $10
Ages
6 and up
Where
Kitchen table
Since 1911: The 1911 book says never to wash a wound, to press on arteries with your fingers, and to make a tourniquet from a handkerchief and a stick. Today the Red Cross says to call 911 for serious bleeding and press directly on the wound, and the AAP says to wash a minor cut with soap and water once bleeding stops. Use a tourniquet only if trained.
What you need
A stuffed animal with a red marker "cut" on an arm or leg
Gauze pads and a roller bandage, or a clean cloth and a strip of fabric
Disposable gloves (optional)
A play phone or an unplugged phone for the 911 practice
Before you start
Practice on a stuffed animal, never on a person's real limb. Don't wrap anything tight on a child.
In a real emergency call 911 first. Blood spurting or flowing without stopping, or about half a soda can of blood, needs 911 right away.
Don't practice a tourniquet. Tourniquets are for trained people; take a Red Cross or Stop the Bleed class.
Steps
Look in the kit. Open the kit and name each item and what it's for.
Big or small? Big bleeding spurts or keeps flowing: call 911. Small cuts can be treated at home.
Press on it. Press a pad firmly on the cut and count to 60 without peeking.
Cover it. Wrap a bandage over the pad; add a pad on top if it soaks through.
Call 911. Practice: give your address, say who is bleeding and stay on the line.
Minor cuts. For a small cut, wash gently with soap and water, then cover.
If it stalls
If a child gets squeamish, switch to the kit tour and name the items instead.
Do the practice a few times a year. It's a skill that fades.
