boy-chokedPeople of any age can choke, but children younger than four years of age are particularly prone to choking. As always, your goal should be prevention.

Prevention

  • Foods that easily lead to choking in young children include peanuts and other nuts, popcorn, hard candy, pieces of hot dog, and raw carrots. Do not give nuts and hard candy to young children. Cut food into small pieces before feeding it to young children.
  • Do not let your child eat while running around. Supervise eating and mealtimes.
  • Keep small toys and other small objects away from your children. Select toys appropriate for your child’s age. Latex balloons are particularly dangerous, as are eraser tips, buttons, and button batteries.
  • Instruct the older children in your house not to give infants and younger children pieces of food and small objects.
  • Learn CPR. Take a course at your local hospital, Red Cross, or similar organization. Update and practice your skills frequently. Renew your certification regularly, at least every two years.


first aidFirst Aid

Most choking episodes in children occur while they are eating or playing and are often witnessed by adults who can intervene while the child is still conscious and responsive. If your child appears to be choking, assess the situation before you intervene :

  • Do not start first aid for choking if your child can cry or talk, has a strong cough, or is breathing adequately.
  • Do start first aid for choking if your child cannot cough, talk, or emit normal sounds; is changing color (turning blue or pale); or cannot breathe; or if an older child uses the universal sign for choking (hands clutching the neck). If a child is found unconscious, you should always suspect upper airway obstruction as a possible cause and initiate  appropriate  first aid. See below for appropriate first aid measures by age group.



Call 911 after starting rescue efforts.

Infants Younger Than One Year of Age

If your baby appears to be choking, his breathing is obstructed, or he is turning blue and trying to cry but just making weak sounds, you will need to intervene : baby 2

  • Lay your baby face down with his head low along your forearm. His legs will straddle your forearm. Give five sharp back blows between his shoulder blades.
  • If this fails to clear the blockage, turn your baby over and give five chest thrusts using two fingers on the lower half of the breastbone. Look in the mouth to see if this has dislodged anything.
  • If the blockage does not clear, call 911.
  • Repeat the above steps until the blockage has cleared or until help arrives.
  • If your child stops breathing or remains blue, baby 1start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
  • See below for management of the unconscious infant.


Older Children

Conscious Child

chokIf your child appears to be choking but is coughing or crying or is able to talk, encourage her to cough forcefully and try to expel the foreign body. If your child cannot breathe or make a sound, you need to intervene with the Heimlich maneuver. If this does not dislodge the object and she loses consciousness, try abdominal thrusts. If your child becomes blue or stops breathing, start CPR. Call 911.


Unconscious Child

If you come across an unconscious child, you should always consider a foreign body or upper airway obstruction as a reason for the unconsciousness. This is more likely to be the case if the child is not breathing normally or is blue.

  • Make sure the child is unresponsive.
  • Shout for help.
  • Open the airway and check for breathing. If the child is not breathing, attempt rescue breathing.
  • If the child’s chest does not rise, reposition the head and try the rescue breathing again. If you still are unable to give effective breaths (the chest does not rise), perform abdominal thrusts in a child or back blows in an infant.
  • After each set of five abdominal thrusts (child) or five back blows (infant), open the child’s mouth and look for a foreign body. If you see a foreign body, try to hook it out with your finger. If you cannot see a foreign body, do not put a finger in the mouth, as it may push an object in deeper. If you do not see a foreign body, repeat the cycle.
  • Call 911.
  • If the child is not breathing, give rescue breaths until help arrives. Assess the pulse/circulation and if necessary begin CPR.