Health Team

How to save a choking infant

On average, one child will die from choking every five days in the United States, and often an adult is nearby but they may not know what to do. Dr. Eva Love, a pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic, said a parent or caregiver's response is critical if a child is choking.

Posted Updated

By
Allen Mask
, M.D., WRAL Health Team physician

Choking is a leading cause of injury or death among children, especially for those under the age of 4.

On average, one child will die from choking every five days in the United States, and often an adult is nearby but they may not know what to do. Dr. Eva Love, a pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic, said a parent or caregiver's response is critical if a child is choking.

"It is important to first recognize those signs of choking, which would be that your child cannot breathe, make a sound or cough," Love said.

Love said most child choking incidents involve food, coins or toys. She said parents should avoid letting their child near small, non-food objects that can fit in their mouths.

Love also said to never feed a baby uncut, unpeeled grapes, hot dog chunks or popcorn, because they're likely to swallow them whole.

If a baby does choke, Love said abdominal thrusts are not recommended for forcing the object out. Instead, use a series of back blows and chest compressions first followed by infant CPR, if needed.

Abdominal thrusts can be used in children over 1 year old.

Love also cautioned against sticking fingers in a baby's mouth to try to remove an object because it could actually make the situation worse.

"It's important for parents to understand that if they do see that foreign body, that they do not perform a finger sweep in the mouth to pull that foreign body out, because they could actually be pushing that foreign body back to the back of the throat," Love said.

The proper technique to force the object out can help parents avoid a tragedy.

There are training opportunities for rescue techniques including the Heimlich Maneuver and CPR. The local American Red Cross is a great source for training, which does the training in a controlled setting using special life-sized mannequins.

Some hospitals, fire stations or county EMS crews might also offer that type of training.

WRAL Health Team's Dr. Allen Mask said to watch out for small objects lying around the house. Generally, anything that can fit through a cardboard toilet paper tube — things like batteries, beads or dice — pose a choking hazard for kids.

Mask said to look at a home through a baby's eyes to think about what needs to be picked up and either thrown away or stored somewhere so a child can't choke on it.

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