Safety and First Aid

Choking and The Heimlich Maneuver

Preparation Before:

Keep small objects that can be a choking hazard away from the baby/child.

Avoid foods that can easily lead to choking, such as carrots, grapes, hot dogs, and large pieces of meat

Do not let the children play while they are

eating/ or play with their food.

Cut food into small chewable pieces.

Do not let children play with small toys unsupervised

Action During:

STEP 1:

If the child begins choking, asses the situation quickly, but without panic.

You will know the child is choking if they are holding their throat, turning blue in the face, or coughing.

STEP 2: Dislodge the object - Perform the Heimlich Maneuver

Do back blows (5) - position his face up on the forearm, and press on their back

Chest Thrusts– place the pads of 2/3 fingers in the center of the baby’s chest. Push down around 1 and a half inches.

Repeat this process again

Continue alternating between the back blows and chest thrusts until the object is forced out. If the baby begins coughing, let them try and cough up the object.

Considerations After:

To prevent this experience from happening again you could:

Ensure that there are not any objects available to your child which can cause them to choke.

Take your child to the hospital, to be assessed properly by a professional for any possible side effects of the choking.