It is one of a parent’s worst fears to see their child choking and unable to breathe and to have no option but to watch powerlessly. What are some of the most common causes of choking in young children and infants, and how can we prevent it? If a child is choking and in need of help, what can you do to assist them?
What size object is a choking hazard for kids?
Although this is dependent on the child’s age, as a general guideline, objects that are most likely to cause choking are those that are between 1cm and 3.5cm in size. This is the danger zone where the object is probably small enough to fit in the child’s mouth, but too big to be swallowed. Choking hazards for small children are generally objects less than the width of a 20c coin or about the thickness of a finger.
Of course, the scale changes for babies. An infant’s windpipe is as narrow as an average drinking straw, making even small objects a life-threatening choking hazard. A peanut, for example, can be lethal.
What objects are the most common choking hazards for children?
A child might choke on an object in two ways: either by attempting to eat it or by putting it in their mouth to play with it, amuse themselves, or soothe their nerves.
The following are among the most common foods responsible for child choking:
- Whole grapes
- Hard candy
- Soft lollies
- Large chunks of fruits or vegetables
- Pieces of hotdog
- Nuts
- Chunks of meat
- Sticky foods like peanut butter
Soft foods (like grapes or pieces of meat or Frankfurt) should be cut into smaller, more manageable pieces to stop your child from choking. For infants, it is preferable to turn food into a slippery paste. You should not give small, hard food items, like nuts or hard candy, to young children. Hard candy is a major cause of choking-related ED visits for children, accounting for nearly 20% of such visits.
Inedible objects that can pose a choking hazard for small children include:
- Bottle caps
- Jewellery
- Small stones and pebbles
- Balloons
- Small, hard objects like small batteries and coins
- Small balls and marbles
- Toys with small parts like Lego
The key to safeguarding children against choking is to keep these objects out of reach and make sure children are supervised if they do play with them.
How you can tell if a child is choking
Small children or infants are often unable to convey that they are choking. Because their windpipe is blocked, they can’t cry out for help or signal for assistance, and younger children may not even comprehend what is happening to them.
A choking child may exhibit visible distress and have difficulty breathing, speaking, and swallowing (which may be difficult to detect). They might cough, wheeze, or visibly gag. They might clutch at their neck, and if they are breathing, it might have a whistling or “crowing” sound. They might exhibit blue tinges on their face, lips, neck, and even their fingernails if they have been struggling to breathe for a short while.
If any of these signs are evident, respond at once.
What you should do if a child is choking
The situation may not always be life-threatening, even if the child begins to panic. Try to keep the child calm and see if you can get them to dislodge the object by coughing.
If coughing doesn’t get the item out, get someone to ring 000 immediately, especially if the choking child is an infant. The ambulance won’t get to you immediately, and a child who is fighting for breath is in considerable danger.
If the child is not breathing at all, sit them face down on your lap with their head lower than their chest. For children five and up, place them on their side. Strike four sharp blows between the shoulder blades to force out any air in the lungs and dislodge any obstructions.
Do not attempt the Heimlich Manoeuvre on a child (hitting or squeezing the child’s abdomen) unless you are a medical professional.
When do I have to take my child to the emergency department for choking?
If you cannot remove the obstruction using the methods described above, it will be quicker to call 000 and get paramedics to come to you directly than to take the child to the emergency room yourself.
Even if you have managed to resolve the choking situation without medical assistance, you may still need to visit the emergency department afterwards to have them looked at. Take them to the ED if:
- They have a persistent cough, unusual drooling, wheezing, gagging, or difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- While they were choking they went limp, turned blue, or passed out.
- There is any possibility they might have swallowed a small object like a toy or a battery.
If you see one of these signs, it could mean that the patient has experienced ongoing damage (or will), and you should take them to the emergency room immediately.
Child choking first aid
As discussed earlier, the first thing you can do to reduce the risk of your child choking is to lower the risks of it happening: cut up food and remove choking hazards around the house. Another effective option is to take a first aid course taught by a professional, available everywhere from Salisbury, Wiltshire to Salisbury, South Australia. First aid instructors cover choking as a regular topic and can answer any questions you may have.
Having the right equipment on hand can also help you avoid a choking emergency. For example, the LifeVac device can quickly and safely remove blockages from a person’s airways and is especially useful for children.
