For infants and children, how often should rescue breaths be administered?

The correct frequency for administering rescue breaths to infants and children is one breath every three seconds. This recommendation is based on guidelines that emphasize the need for an adequate ventilation rate to ensure effective oxygenation for young patients who are less capable of sustaining their own breathing in emergency situations.

When delivering rescue breaths, it's essential to provide a gentle puff of air to avoid over-inflation, which can lead to complications such as barotrauma. Administering one breath every three seconds allows for sufficient time between breaths to ensure that each breath is effective without overwhelming the infant or child’s lungs.

The other options reflect either too slow or too rapid a delivery of breaths and could compromise the effectiveness of the resuscitation effort. For instance, waiting too long between breaths could prevent adequate oxygenation, while delivering breaths too rapidly might not allow for proper chest rise and can lead to complications.