YOUR child is choking after swallowing part of a toy. He is turning blue and you have seconds, not minutes, to save his life. What do you do?

This is a dilemma which could be faced by every parent or carer in the country. But, shockingly, nine out of 10 parents admit they would not know what to do.

The disturbing figures come from the most comprehensive national survey yet on parents and first aid. The Save a Life campaign survey questioned 2,000 parents and was carried out by Mother & Baby magazine, Tesco and St John Ambulance.

Every year more than 100 children die from accidents which happen in the home, and half-a-million children are taken to accident and emergency units for treatment after an accident in the home.

But parents are not the only ones at fault. Many grandparents, carers and babysitters do not know basic first aid skills that could save a child's life. What's more, most parents are not confident their carer would know what to do in an emergency.

Adrianne Bolton, owner of Daisychains nursery in Bury Road, Bolton, said all her staff were trained in first aid.

She said: "I think people will find it's standard that staff at nurseries will be fully trained in first aid, although the guideline is for 50 per cent of the staff to be trained.

"But it's no good if you need to give treatment immediately. You can't go off getting someone who is trained because there is not enough time."

A registered nurse, Adrianne said every member of her staff updated their training every three years with St John Ambulance and received a certificate as proof on passing the course.

Not all staff at council-run nurseries have to be qualified first-aiders.

A spokesman for the occupational health and safety department said: "There is specific guidance we follow for schools and nursery schools. A risk assessment is carried out based on how many children there are, their age and nature of the nursery. We have a very active programme for training staff in first aid with regular courses."

According to the survey, North-west children are the most accident prone in the country, yet just 14 pc of parents have been trained in first aid. North-west children are also the most likely to break a bone with 21 pc of children sustaining a fracture, compared to a 13 pc national average.

Safety in the home could be improved. More than half of parents do not have child locks on cupboards or regulate the temperature of hot water used by their children. Just under half of those questioned do not have stairgate.

However, it is not all bad news. The region's parents are the most safety-conscious in the garden, with 80pc having locks on their gates.

The home is not the only dangerous place. A startling 73pc of parents do not use safety reins when walking with toddlers near traffic and 48pc do not even hold their child's hand.

Dani Zur, director of the campaign, said: "Mums could alleviate some of their worries if they felt confident they could save their child's life if they had to. Young children have an incredible number of accidents and, although many are relatively minor, it's every parent's duty to know what to do in a medical emergency.

"It's shocking so few parents know how to help their child and we hope this survey will be a wake-up call to parents."

The Save a Life campaign aims to tackle the problem by offering first aid courses run by St John Ambulance at Tesco stores. The scheme will visit Tesco at Horwich on Tuesday, May 27, and costs £7. Grandparents and carers are welcome and you can register in the current Mother & Baby magazine by filling in a coupon.

The course will cover all aspects of first aid including the recovery position, resuscitation techniques, choking, asthma, burns, scalding and poisoning.

Try to answer these first aid questions

WOULD you know what to do in an emergency?

1. If your toddler is cut and there is a large object embedded in the wound, do you:

a) pull it out and put a sterile dressing on?

b) leave it in place and place a sterile dressing around it?

2. What's the best way to treat a minor burn?

a) hold the affected area under cold, running water for 10 minutes

b) hold a packet of frozen peas against the affected area for 30 minutes

3. What's the first thing you should do if your baby is choking?

a) lie him face down and give him five sharp slaps on his back

b) feel in his throat for the object and remove it

4. If your baby appears unconscious, what should you do first?

a) shake him for signs of response

b) open his airway and remove any obvious obstruction

5. When you are running a bath for your toddler or baby, should you run the hot or cold water first?

6. How do you check an unconscious child for a response?

a) shake the child by their shoulders

b) tap the soles of their feet

Answers: 1.b, 2.a, 3.a, 4.b, 5.cold, 6.b.