Is Your Child Choking? Here’s What To Do

Jul 11, 2018 by apost team

We try to learn everything that we can when we have a baby. We take classes, read books, and search the internet for hours for information-but do we really know what to do if our child starts choking? Even if you think you know what you would do if your child started to choke, it doesn’t hurt to refresh your memory.

Read on for more information.

If the child is actively breathing but coughing, this is because of a partial overlapping of their airway. They need to cough or vomit to get rid of the object stuck in their throat. There is no need for outside interference. When the child stops making noise, this means that the airway is blocked. They may make fuzzy, gasping sounds or you may observe them opening their mouth with no noise coming out at all. If the skin turns bright red or bluish, this is a clear sign of suffocating.

An inability to inhale and active salivation are also signs of suffocation. Remain calm and call emergency services. Only remove the object from their mouth if it is visible. Trying to remove it with your hands may cause deeper penetration.

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If your young child is choking, there are a few methods that can save his or her life. Lie the baby face-down on your arm and tilt their head down. Slap between their shoulder blades five times. Put the baby on his or her back and position them so their head is slightly below their body. Press under their rib cage five times with your index and middle fingers. For children one year of age and older.

Hang the child forward with one hand. Use the heel of your other hand to hit the child hard and sharply five times between their shoulder blades. If the child is little, turn them over and face them away. Kneel down. Hold their waist with both hands while you make a fist with one hand and hold the other on top of it. Press down on the area between their navel and ribs sharply, five times, until the object becomes dislodged.

If you cannot pick the child up off of the ground, position them on their back. Place yourself over the child with your knees on either side of their hips. Press down sharply with both hands on top of one another under their chest. Use a sliding motion towards their head and repeat until the object is dislodged. If the child loses consciousness or their breathing has not come back after the object is removed, you will need to administer indirect heart massage and artificial respiration. There are different techniques for older children and infants.

There are a few simple tips to remember that can prevent choking from occurring in the first place:

• Grind up all food properly
• Provide seedless berries and fruits
• Watch your child to ensure they aren’t putting anything in their mouth
• Get rid of any toys that have tiny pieces
• Explain to them why they shouldn’t talk or laugh while eating

• Explain to them not to eat too much at once
• Never let them eat in a moving vehicle or while walking
• Do not force-feed a child, as they will struggle and this can increase the choking hazard
• Do not distract a child when they are eating
• Watch out for caps of markers when they are drawing or writing-kids often put these in their mouth

We here at APost hope that you won’t have to use any of these tips, ever! But it is crucial to know them, just in case. Have you ever had to help someone who was choking? Tell us your story and pass this article along to your friends and family!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!