Handling a choking episode in a child requires prompt action to prevent brain damage or death. Children are at particular risk of choking because they may put objects into their mouths or fail to chew food completely before swallowing. Understanding how to deal with choking in babies and children can help you react quickly should choking occur.
Choking in Babies
Choking in children under age 1 is treated differently than choking in older children and adults. During a choking episode, place the baby over your forearm with his face pointing toward the floor. Grasping the baby's jaw with one hand will ensure that the head is supported while you attempt to clear the blocked item from the airway. Strike the baby between the shoulder blades five times. Use the base of your hand, just above the wrist, to strike the child's back. After performing the back blows, turn the baby over and use two fingers to perform five thrusts on the lower part of his breastbone. Repeat the procedure if the object remains lodged in the windpipe. Ask someone to call 911 if the maneuver is unsuccessful or the baby loses consciousness.
Choking in Children
Using the Heimlich maneuver can be helpful in ending a choking episode in adults and children over age 1. Perform the maneuver only if the child is unable to speak or cough. Begin the procedure by standing behind the child. Place both arms around her waist and form one of your hands into a fist. Keep the fist vertical with the floor with the thumb side facing the ceiling. Locate the child's navel and position your fist just above it. Wrap your other hand around the fist and begin thrusting the fist into the child's abdomen in an upward motion. If the Heimlich maneuver doesn't dislodge the object or the child faints, call 911. Some modifications to this technique may be necessary if the child is obese. In this case, MedlinePlus recommends placing your arms around the chest and putting your fist on the middle of the breastbone. Make sure your fist is centered between the child's nipples. Use your fist to make upward thrusts against the chest.
Warning
In some cases, food or other objects dislodged by the Heimlich maneuver don't exit the body through the mouth, but travel into one of the lungs. If this occurs, the child might start wheezing or coughing several days after the choking episode. Inhaling a foreign object can also cause aspiration pneumonia, a serious infection of the lungs. Symptoms of aspiration pneumonia include chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, loud breathing, fever and trouble getting enough air into the lungs. If you notice any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical treatment for the child.
Prevention
Keeping small objects out of the reach of children can help prevent choking, although children can be very creative in finding things to put in their mouths. If you have a baby or toddler, be sure that older children don't leave small toys that pose a choking hazard on the floor. Periodically check the floor for small objects. Emphasize the importance of chewing food completely before swallowing in older children. Cut up foods in bite size pieces to help prevent choking. Kids Health from Nemours suggests cutting grapes into quarters, cooking vegetables rather than serving them raw and skinning and cutting hot dogs into small pieces before offering these foods to children under age 4.
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