How to Do CPR: Step by Step Guide for Adults, Children and Babies
Last reviewed: 4 November 2026 · 10 sources (listed at the end). Educational content only. Part of the Jaan Bachayega India series.
Quick answer: If someone collapses, does not respond and is not breathing normally (or is only gasping), call 108 or 112 and put the phone on speaker. Lay them on their back on the floor. Put the heel of your hand in the centre of the chest, the other hand on top, and push hard and fast: 5 to 6 cm deep, 100 to 120 times a minute. If you are not trained in rescue breaths, just keep pushing. Do not stop until help takes over, a defibrillator tells you to pause, or the person starts breathing normally.
What usually happens when someone collapses: people crowd around, sprinkle water on the face, try to feel for a pulse, or simply wait for the ambulance. None of that keeps blood moving. CPR does. You do not need a degree or any equipment to start, only your two hands.
When does someone need CPR?
The 2025 American Heart Association guidelines give one simple rule for the public: if an adult is unresponsive and has no breathing or abnormal breathing, such as only gasping, assume their heart has stopped (cardiac arrest) and start CPR.
- Gasping is not breathing. Slow, noisy gasps or snoring sounds can happen in the first minutes after the heart stops. Treat them as no normal breathing.
- Do not check the pulse. The guidelines say members of the public should judge by response and breathing, not by a pulse. Feeling for a pulse wastes time and is easy to get wrong.
- If the person is breathing normally but not awake, they do not need CPR. Put them in the recovery position and keep watching their breathing, as in our fainting first aid guide.
- If the person is awake and has chest pain, it may be a heart attack, not cardiac arrest. See our heart attack first aid guide. Start CPR only if they collapse and stop breathing normally.
How to do CPR on an adult: step by step
CPR in 8 steps
- Check it is safe for you to go near: traffic, electricity, fire.
- Check response: tap the shoulders and shout, “Are you okay?”
- Check breathing for up to 10 seconds. No breathing, or only gasping? Start CPR.
- Call 108 or 112 and put the phone on speaker, or ask someone else to call. Ask another person to bring a defibrillator (AED) if there is one nearby.
- Lay them flat on their back on a firm surface. If they are on a bed or sofa, move them to the floor.
- Hands in the centre of the chest: heel of one hand on the lower half of the breastbone, the other hand on top, fingers locked.
- Push hard and fast: arms straight, shoulders over your hands, 5 to 6 cm deep, 100 to 120 a minute. Let the chest come fully back up after each push.
- Do not stop. Keep pauses as short as possible. If someone else can do CPR, swap every 1 to 2 minutes.
A good way to keep the speed: push at the beat of a fast song, about two pushes every second. Kneel beside the person, close to their chest. The 2025 guidelines say compressions work best when the person’s chest is at about the level of your knees, which is why the floor is better than a bed.
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Disposable gloves to keep in your first aid kit or car, for helping someone who is bleeding or injured.
Do not delay CPR to look for gloves. The guidelines say protective equipment is optional for members of the public.
Hands only CPR or rescue breaths?
If you have not been trained in rescue breaths, or you do not want to give them, do hands only CPR: continuous chest compressions without stopping. The American Heart Association, St John Ambulance and the Indian Resuscitation Council all accept this for adults. The Indian Resuscitation Council’s public guideline, called Compression Only Life Support (COLS), is built around exactly this: recognise the arrest, call for help, push on the chest and get the person to hospital.
If you are trained, give 30 compressions, then 2 rescue breaths. Tilt the head back, lift the chin, pinch the nose, seal your mouth over theirs and blow steadily for about one second, watching the chest rise. Make only two attempts, then go straight back to compressions.
🛒 For people trained in rescue breaths: IndoSurgicals adult pocket CPR mask
A face mask that puts a barrier between you and the person when you give rescue breaths.
Only useful if you have been trained to give breaths. If you have not, chest compressions alone are the right thing to do, and you need nothing to start them.
If a defibrillator (AED) is available
An AED is a small box that can check the heart’s rhythm and give an electric shock if needed. Some public places keep one. If someone brings it:
- Switch it on and follow the voice instructions. It tells you where to stick the pads.
- Keep doing CPR until the pads are on and the machine says to stop while it checks the heart.
- Make sure nobody touches the person when it says a shock is being given.
- Start compressions again as soon as it tells you to.
When can you stop CPR?
St John Ambulance advises that you keep going until one of these happens:
- Ambulance staff or a trained person takes over.
- The person shows signs of life and starts breathing normally.
- A defibrillator tells you to stop while it checks the heart.
- You are too exhausted to carry on.
If they start breathing normally, put them in the recovery position and keep checking their breathing until help arrives.
CPR for children and babies: what is different
In children and babies, the heart usually stops because of a breathing problem, such as choking or drowning. That is why the guidelines say rescue breaths matter more in children than in adults. If you are not trained or cannot give breaths, chest compressions alone are still far better than doing nothing.
| Child (1 year to puberty) | Baby (under 1 year) | |
|---|---|---|
| Hands | One hand, or two if needed, in the centre of the chest | Two thumbs with your hands around the chest, or the heel of one hand |
| Depth | One third of the chest, about 5 cm | One third of the chest, about 4 cm |
| Speed | 100 to 120 a minute | 100 to 120 a minute |
| Breaths | Over the mouth, nose pinched | Your mouth over the baby’s mouth and nose |
The 2025 American Heart Association guidelines have dropped the old two finger method for babies, because the two thumb or one hand method pushes deeper more reliably. St John Ambulance advises starting with 5 rescue breaths for children and babies if you know how. Baby and child CPR is best learnt hands on, so if you are a parent or grandparent, a short paediatric first aid course is worth it.
Common myths about CPR
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| “He is gasping, so he is breathing.” | Gasping is not normal breathing. Start CPR. |
| “Check the pulse first.” | The public should not check for a pulse. Look at response and breathing. |
| “I might hurt them.” | The guidelines say compressions on an unconscious person who turns out not to be in cardiac arrest have not been linked with serious harm. Doing nothing is the real danger. |
| “CPR on the bed is fine.” | A soft bed absorbs the push. Move the person to the floor. |
| “Only doctors should do CPR.” | The guidelines say every member of the public should give chest compressions to an adult in cardiac arrest. |
| “Cough hard to keep the heart going.” | The American Heart Association says there is no evidence that “cough CPR” helps. |
🛒 Be ready at home: Hansaplast Fast Aid Kit, 9 items
Gauze, cotton, bandage, tape and plasters for small injuries at home.
A first aid kit does not help in cardiac arrest. Your hands, a phone call to 108 or 112 and an AED do.
Save and send: if someone collapses
- Tap and shout. No response?
- Check breathing for up to 10 seconds. Not breathing or only gasping?
- Call 108 / 112, speaker on. Ask for an AED.
- Floor, on their back. Hands in the centre of the chest.
- Push 5 to 6 cm, 100 to 120 a minute. Let the chest come back up.
Do not stop until help takes over or they breathe normally.
Untrained? Hands only is fine. No pulse check. No water. Children and babies: breaths matter more. Emergency numbers: 108 (ambulance, most states) · 112 (national). Health Beats by Biswa
Disclosure: the product links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, this site may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing linked here is needed to start CPR.
This article is health education, not medical advice, and not a diagnosis for any person. It reflects the author’s own views as a nursing and public health professional and does not represent any employer or institution. The best way to learn CPR is a hands on course with a practice manikin.
Related reading
- Heart Attack First Aid: What to Do in the First Few Minutes
- Choking First Aid: Back Blows and Heimlich Maneuver Steps
- What to Do When Someone Faints: First Aid in the First Minute
- Seizure First Aid: What to Do During a Fit or Convulsion
Sources
- American Heart Association: Part 7: Adult Basic Life Support. 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. ahajournals.org Circulation, 2025.
- American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics: Part 6: Pediatric Basic Life Support, 2025 Guidelines. ahajournals.org Circulation, 2025.
- American Heart Association: Top Things to Know: 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC, 22 October 2025. professional.heart.org
- American Heart Association News: Why cough CPR is not the lifesaver it’s made out to be, January 2025. heart.org
- St John Ambulance: How to do CPR, clinically reviewed 18 September 2026. sja.org.uk
- St John Ambulance: Child CPR and Baby CPR, clinically reviewed 24 September 2026. sja.org.uk
- American Red Cross: CPR Steps. redcross.org
- Indian Resuscitation Council: Compression only life support (COLS) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation by layperson outside the hospital. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia, 2017. doaj.org
- Government of India: 112 India, Emergency Response Support System. 112.gov.in
- National Health Mission: ERS / Patient Transport Service (Dial 108 / 102). nhm.gov.in
