What to do – if your child is Choking

The two most important things you learn in any first aid class are CPR and what to do if someone is choking.  When it comes to young children and babies, their hearts are young and healthy and rarely pose a problem.  CPR for children and infants usually stems from issues around their breathing which leads to problems with the heart.

Oral exploration is a key developmental phase, it allows babies to discover the taste and texture of the objects that make up their world.  it seems to continue in some form until they hit about 5 when they refuse to taste anything, or maybe thats anything green and healthy looking?  Most infants and small children are well used to coughing things back up, but it can occasionally go wrong and you may need to step in.

If a child or baby is coughing, allow them time to cough the object up.  Don’t slap them on the back as this may move the object in the wrong direction causing a full obstruction.  With infants a series of back slaps and chest thrust is used to clear a full obstruction as demonstrated in this video clip.

For young children the procedure is a slightly modified version of the adult choking sequence, which can be seen here.

Attending a First Aid workshop is recommended so you can practice these maneuvers. It takes a little practice to get it right, but when you get it it’s surprisingly effective.  We run regular First Aid essentials Workshops at the elbowroom, if you would like details on any of our workshops or courses, please email reception with your enquiry.