When baby starts eating solids, it is a very exciting milestone,
but it can also be very scary because the threat of choking is
very real. You should be prepared and know what to do in case
your baby starts to choke--it could save your child's life.
Coughing is how we get foreign objects out of our throat. If
baby is coughing and can breath there is no need to interfere,
but if baby is coughing for about three minutes then he is
seriously choking and you need to help him immediately. When
baby (under the age of one) is struggling to breath, turning
blue, or unconscious you should follow these guidelines.
1. Get Help- If someone is with you have them call 911. If
you're alone, take baby with you to the phone and dial 911. The
911 operator will help you the best they can until help arrives.
2. Position Baby- Turn baby upside down, straddling your
forearm at about a 60 degree angle. If baby is small enough you
can sit down and this better supports you. If baby is too big
you can hold baby on your lap at a 60 degree angle.
3. Back blows- Give five blows in a row to the back between
baby's shoulder blades with the palm of your free hand. Back
blows will usually help expel a foreign object. If object is
still lodged, continue with chest thrusts.
4. Chest thrusts- If baby hasn't returned to normal breathing
or the object hasn't shot out of baby's mouth, turn baby's face
up and take your index and middle fingers and place them on the
sternum bone in between the nipples. Do about five chest
thrusts. If your baby is conscious, then you can repeat the
back blows and chest thrusts until the airway has become clear.
If baby has become unconscious, stop chest thrusts and back
blows and do a foreign object check.
5. Foreign object check- If there is no sign that the object
has been removed, check to see if an object can be seen. Open
baby's mouth and with your thumb hold down babies tongue and
open the jaw and see if you can see anything. If you see
something, try to remove it with the sweep of your pinky finger.
Never ever try and remove a foreign object with anything
besides your finger (i.e. pinchers, tongs or tweezers may seem
like a good idea in a stressful situation, but they can push the
foreign object farther down and make the situation worse).
6. Check the airway- If baby is still having trouble breathing,
open the airway by doing a head tilt chin lift. Cover baby's
nose and mouth with your mouth and blow two rescue breaths by
giving two slow, light breaths. If baby's chest moves up and
down then baby's airway is clear.
7. Repeat the steps.... Repeat the steps above until the
foreign object comes out and baby is breathing on his/her own,
or until the paramedics arrive and can take over for you.
Hopefully this doesn't happen to you, but it is always best to
be prepared. So take a class at your local hospital or
recreation center.
