CPR for Infants Step by Step – Complete 2026 Guide

Every parent and caregiver hopes they never need to use CPR on an infant — but hope is not a plan. In 2026, infant cardiac emergencies remain one of the most time-critical situations a caregiver can face. In those first critical minutes after an infant stops breathing, knowing exactly what to do and doing it confidently can make all the difference.

Infant CPR is not the same as adult CPR. The techniques are different, the pressure is different, and even the way you open the airway is different. If you apply adult CPR habits to an infant, you could unintentionally cause harm. Understanding those differences before an emergency happens is essential.

This guide walks you through CPR for infants step by step, from recognizing that something is wrong to handing care off to emergency responders. You will learn how to check for responsiveness, position the infant correctly, deliver chest compressions, give rescue breaths, and use an AED if one is available. Each step is explained clearly so you can follow along without confusion — whether you are reading this for the first time or brushing up on skills you learned years ago.

This guide is written for parents, grandparents, daycare workers, babysitters, and anyone who regularly spends time around infants. You do not need a medical background to understand these steps. You do need to take them seriously.

One important note before we begin: reading a guide is a starting point, not a finish line. Hands-on practice with a certified instructor is the only way to build the muscle memory that matters when seconds are counting down. 360 Safety offers CPR training and BLS training for individuals, families, and groups. Practicing on a manikin with a qualified instructor is how these steps go from information you read to skills you can actually use.

Use this guide to understand what infant CPR looks like. Then get trained so you are truly ready.

Step 1: Recognize the Emergency and Call for Help

The first and most important thing you need to do is confirm that there is actually an emergency. Acting quickly matters, but acting on accurate information matters just as much.

Start by checking for responsiveness. Tap the bottom of the infant's foot firmly and call out loudly. Do not shake the infant. If the infant does not react to stimulation and does not respond to your voice, that is a significant warning sign.

Next, look for normal breathing. Spend no more than 10 seconds observing the chest. You are looking for regular, rhythmic breathing. What you want to avoid confusing is gasping with actual breathing. Gasping, which can look like occasional, labored breaths, is not effective breathing. It is a reflex that sometimes occurs after cardiac arrest. If the infant is gasping, treat it the same as not breathing at all.

If the infant is unresponsive and not breathing normally, it is time to activate emergency services. Call 911 immediately, or shout for a bystander to call while you begin CPR. If you are alone with the infant, do not leave the infant to go find a phone. Begin CPR first. If you have a phone nearby, use speaker mode and call 911 while you work. The 911 dispatcher can also talk you through CPR steps in real time.

Time is critical here. Early CPR significantly improves outcomes in cardiac arrest, and every minute without it reduces the chance of survival. The goal of this step is not to diagnose what went wrong. It is to confirm that the infant needs help and to get that help moving as fast as possible.

Success indicator: You have confirmed the infant is unresponsive and not breathing normally, emergency services have been contacted, and you are ready to begin CPR.

Step 2: Position the Infant and Open the Airway

Before you can deliver compressions or rescue breaths effectively, the infant needs to be in the right position. Getting this wrong can make everything else less effective, or even counterproductive.

Place the infant on a firm, flat surface. A table, the floor, or a hard countertop all work. Avoid soft surfaces like a mattress or couch cushion, as these absorb compression force and reduce effectiveness. Make sure the infant is face-up and lying on their back.

Now open the airway using the head-tilt chin-lift method. Place one hand on the infant's forehead and gently tilt the head back. With your other hand, use one or two fingers to lift the chin slightly upward. This moves the tongue away from the back of the throat and opens the airway.

Here is where infant CPR differs significantly from adult CPR: do not tilt the head back too far. In adults, a more aggressive head tilt is appropriate. In infants, over-tilting the head can actually collapse the airway rather than open it. The correct position for an infant is neutral to slightly extended, meaning the head is just barely tilted back, not sharply angled.

Think of it this way: if you are used to performing adult CPR, your instinct may be to tilt the head back further than an infant needs. Resist that instinct. A gentle, controlled tilt is the goal.

After opening the airway, take one more look for breathing. Sometimes repositioning the airway is enough to restore breathing on its own. If the infant still is not breathing normally after you open the airway, move immediately to compressions.

Success indicator: The infant is lying face-up on a firm surface, the airway is open with a neutral to slightly extended head position, and you are ready to begin chest compressions.

Step 3: Perform Chest Compressions

Chest compressions are the core of CPR. They manually pump blood through the body when the heart is not doing it on its own. Doing them correctly requires attention to placement, depth, rate, and recoil.

For a single rescuer, place two fingers, your index and middle fingers, on the center of the infant's chest. Position them just below the nipple line, in the middle of the breastbone. This is the correct location for compressions. Placing your fingers too high or too low can reduce effectiveness and risk injury.

If two trained rescuers are present, the preferred technique changes. One rescuer can use the two-thumb encircling technique, where both thumbs are placed on the center of the chest and the hands wrap around the infant's torso. Research has shown this technique delivers more consistent compression depth and force. The second rescuer handles rescue breaths. When two trained rescuers are working together, the compression-to-breath ratio also changes to 15:2 instead of 30:2.

Push straight down approximately 1.5 inches, which is roughly one-third of the infant's chest depth. That may feel like a lot for such a small body, but it is necessary to generate effective blood flow. Pressing too softly will not circulate blood adequately. Pressing too hard can cause injury. Firm, controlled pressure is the goal.

Compress at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. That is faster than most people expect. Counting out loud helps you maintain the right pace. Some people use a rhythm like "one and two and three and" to keep time. Others count in sets of 10 and track where they are. Find what works for you and stick with it.

After each compression, allow the chest to fully recoil before pushing down again. Full recoil lets the heart refill with blood between compressions. Do not lean on the chest or keep downward pressure between compressions. Keep your fingers in contact with the chest, but let it rise fully each time.

Success indicator: You are delivering 30 compressions in a steady rhythm, at the correct depth and rate, with full chest rec