Choking is a dangerous condition and can happen to anyone, especially children. When a child chokes, his airways will become blocked so he has difficulty breathing. Therefore, parents need to know the first aid that must be done when the child chokes.
Choking is caused by the entry of foreign matter into the throat. In children, foreign objects that can cause choking conditions are food, toys, and small objects, such as coins, batteries, and erasers.
First Aid in Children Choking
Mother needs to know the early signs of a choking child, namely a sudden cough, difficulty breathing, and lips appear bluish. In the later stages, children can experience a decrease in consciousness.
When your child looks choked and objects in the throat are not visible, try not to pull or push the object. This is because attracting foreign objects that are not visible can actually increase the risk of objects getting pushed into the throat.
How to help choking babies is different from how to help choking children. The following are the steps and explanations:
Infants (under 1 year of age)
In choking babies, the initial treatment that can be done is to do back blows and chest thrusts. Here are the steps you need to do:
- Position the baby on his stomach on the arm supported by the thigh. Make sure the baby's head position is lower than the body.
- Support the baby's head and jaw with your fingers. Then, pat her back gently between the shoulder blades 5 times, using the other Lady's hand. This action is called back blows.
- If this method has not been successful, position the baby on his back with his head facing up. Find the sternum and place 2 fingers in the middle.
- After that, put pressure on the center of the baby's breastbone 5 times. This action is called chest thrusts. If the object hasn't come out yet, repeat the action again.
Children over 1 year
If the child is still able to make a little sound and breathe. Ask him to cough loudly. This is useful for removing objects that are stuck.
Another way that you can do is to do back blows and chest thrust, as explained above. In children older than 1 year, another action that Mother does is abdominal thrusts. To do abdominal thrusts, you can follow these steps:
- Wrap your arms between the navel and the abdominal ribs.
- After that, clench your fist between your navel and the child's rib cage.
- Stroking your hands toward the top while pulling the child's body back five times. Avoid pounding too hard to avoid injury.
If the child is still choking, Mother can repeat back blows, chest thrusts, and abdominal thrusts, and immediately call for help to take the child to the nearest hospital.
If the child is unconscious, Mother can do the CPR technique as first aid when the child chokes. But if you want to do CPR, make sure you have received previous training.
Tips to Prevent Kids from Choking
In addition to knowing how to deal with choking in children, Mother needs to know several ways to prevent choking, namely:
- Avoid giving food with a hard and chewy texture, such as candy, nuts, marshmallows, and chocolate. Also be sure to cook hard-textured foods, such as carrots and potatoes, until soft.
- Avoid placing small objects, such as buttons, hair clips and coins, in areas that are easily accessible to children. It is best to place these items in high places and difficult for children to reach.
- Make sure Mother chooses children's toys according to her age.
- Always check the toys played by children. If there are broken or damaged parts, keep the toys away from children.
- Familiarize children to eat while sitting without doing any activity. Try also not to invite children to chat or joke during meals, Mother.
Children who choke need immediate help, so that this condition is not fatal. Some of the steps above can Mother do as first aid when children choke. After that, immediately take your child to the doctor to get treatment if needed.
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