Choking
Child; choking; inhale; airway; breathe; wheeze; first; aid; cough; food; nut; choke; breathing ;
Contents
Choking is a risk for babies and young children. It is important to take care that your home (and any other place where your young child will be) does not have small things around that they can put in their mouths.
It is also a good idea to do a first aid course so you will feel confident to cope with any accident that could happen to your young child.
Why are young children at risk of choking?
Young children are at risk of choking because they:
- put small objects into their mouths
- do not have the back teeth needed to chew and grind lumps of food fully
- are still learning to eat, chew and swallow
- may run, play, laugh or cry while there is something in their mouth.
Preventing choking
Preventing choking on food
- Always sit down to eat.
- At eating times always stay with young children, and make sure that they sit quietly while eating.
- Do not give food or drink to children when they are running, playing, laughing or crying.
- Encourage children to eat slowly and chew well.
- Never force children to eat, as this may cause them to choke.
- Do not give young children foods that have small hard pieces.
- Grate, cook or mash all hard fruits and vegetables.
- Meat, chicken and sausages should be cut into small pieces, and skins removed. Cut off excess fat.
- Do not give them foods that have small and hard pieces, like raw carrot, celery or apple.
- Do not give them popcorn, nuts, hard or sticky lollies, corn chips or other similar foods.
Preventing choking on other objects
- Make sure small objects that could be inhaled (get into their windpipe) or swallowed are out of reach or thrown away.
- Check for 'beans' from beanbags, coins, small batteries, small toys, broken off pieces of toys, pieces of foam etc.
What to do if someone chokes
If the child is breathing, coughing or crying the child may be able to dislodge the object by coughing.
- Check the mouth and remove any food or object you can see or feel.
- Ask the child to cough and remove anything that comes out.
- Stay with the child, and watch to see if the child's breathing improves.
- If the child is not breathing easily within a few minutes, call an ambulance (000 in Australia).
- If, after the coughing settles down, there is any continued noisy breathing, or coughing, take the child to a hospital emergency department or see a doctor as soon as possible, as the object may have lodged in a bronchus (windpipe, airway).
- If the child is able to breathe do not try to dislodge the object by hitting the child on the back or pushing on the stomach, because this may move the object into a more dangerous position and make the child stop breathing.
If the child is not breathing :
- Call an ambulance - 000
- Check the mouth and remove any food or object you can see or feel.
- Begin back blows
- For a young child (under about 5) place the child face down over your lap so that the head is lower than the chest. For an older child or adult, lie them on the side.
- Give a sharp blow on the back between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
- Check the mouth and remove any food or other object.
- Repeat this up to 5 times if needed.
- If this is not effective - give 5 chest thrusts.
If the child is still not breathing - start CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) - as for any other non-breathing person, while waiting for help.
South Australia
Australian Resuscitation Council 'Flow chart for the management of foreign body airway obstruction' February 2006.
http://www.resus.org.au/public/arc_choking.pdf
Centre for Health Promotion 'Preventing choking on food' Children, Youth and Women's Health Service
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Parent Helpline on 1300 364 100 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).
This topic may use 'he' and 'she' in turn - please change to suit your
child's sex.