If your child is choking, it has to be one of the most stomach-dropping events known to man – however, most often, if we leave the child to give a good productive cough, they can clear it themselves – if we can just resist the urge to start slamming them on the back and interfering with their primal gag/cough reflex!
As we say repeatedly in our baby first aid classes Mama, it’s there for a reason!
These 3 foods in the picture are the most common culprits of choking in a small child.
Sausage – it has a skin that does not break down and tends to create a ball in the mouth (and sometimes the throat) I have experienced this first hand in a young 6 month old girl who was grey, limp and not breathing adequately. (This was the event that hatched the idea of the nest in the first place!) It was quick and terrifying, but thankfully she was ok after some swift first aid. If you are going to feed your child sausages, cut them into half moons.
Mandarins – much the same as sausages, they have a skin that forms a lump in the mouth and the skin is hard to break down. I would recommend cutting the segments in half at least.
Grapes – Again! That skin! Apart from that, they are the perfect size to lodge in a small child’s airway. There are many pictures online that show this but we are not here to scare you so we choose not to show them. we are here to teach you what to do if the situation arises. Cut your grapes into quarters so we get rid of that circular shape.
Here Is What To Do If Your Child Or Someone Else’s Chokes:
If A Child Is Choking And Still Breathing:
In many cases, coughing will help dislodge the object.
∙Encourage the child to cough. Infants and young, children may cough instinctively.
∙Stay calm and reassure the child.
∙Continue to monitor for breathing until they recover.
IF COUGHING DOESN’T HELP DISLODGE THE OBJECT, OR THE CHILD STOPS BREATHING AT ANY TIME, CALL AN AMBULANCE.
1. Give five sharp back blows with the heel of your hand between the shoulder blades.
2. If the back blows are unsuccessful, turn the infant onto their back.
3. Give five chest thrusts using two fingers (infant) or the heel of your hand.
4. After each chest thrust, check to see if the object has been dislodged
5. If the blockage has not cleared, continue to alternate between five back blows and five chest thrusts (steps 1 to 4 above) until the ambulance arrives.
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