What to do if your child chokes – First Aid advice from Acorn Health and Safety

There are many objects, situations and hazards around the house and outdoors that can cause a young child to choke.

Thankfully the majority of these choking situations are quickly cleared, and the object expelled and breathing resumed as normal.

However, each day in the UK around 40 under-5s are rushed to hospital after choking on something, or swallowing something dangerous.

Hopefully you’ll never need to use the tips below, but they might just come in handy one day, (and there won’t be time to look them up if you are faced with a choking child).

A sharp intake of breath …

The time around Christmas, birthdays, parties, and other exciting activities can be particularly hazardous situations for young children.

A sharp intake of breath while there is food or a small object in their mouth can lead to a blockage in their wind-pipe, which their body then tries to clear by choking.

Food is the most likely cause, but small objects and toys can also be risky for young children.

As ever, supervision is the single best thing to help prevent children from having a serious accident.

In reality it’s tricky to watch them 100% of the time and as we well know, it’s easy to be distracted.

What to do if a child is choking

If your child, or a child in your care, appears to be choking you have to act fast:

1. Encourage the child to cough

If the obstruction is not cleared by coughing

2. Lean the child over your knee or bend them forwards so the head is lower than the chest

3. Give up to 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the palm of your hand

If the obstruction is not cleared by the back blows

4. Kneel or stand behind the child.  Place both your arms around their waist

5. Make a fist with one hand and place it just above the belly button (below the ribs) with your thumb inwards.  Grasp this fist with your other hand

6. Thrust sharply inwards and upwards.  Try this up to 5 times.  Check between thrusts to see if the obstruction has been cleared

If the obstruction is still not cleared by abdominal thrusts

7. Continue repeating the cycle of up to 5 back blows followed by up to 5 abdominal thrusts

8. Make sure someone has called an ambulance, but don’t interrupt the treatment whilst the child is still conscious

 

We hope you never need to follow these steps, but if you do we hope they help you to take the right actions.

 

Based on an article by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT). For further reading on child safety visit the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) website.