Gabriella Gometra

Helping Children to Avoid a Choking Episode



Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009

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There are many things you need to watch out for to avoid a choking episode in your child. Choking is very dangerous because it can cause the death of a child if the windpipe becomes blocked. A lot of tragic deaths could have been avoided if parents were more informed about keeping certain objects away from their children.

Anything that is round and small is the perfect shape and size to block a child's windpipe. The object in question does not even have to be a perfectly round circle. Some examples of this are grapes, hard candy, coins, vegetables cut in circles, buttons, nuts, popcorn and hot dogs. With round foods you can avoid danger by cutting the foods in smaller pieces that are not round in shape. Grapes and hot dog slices can be quartered. Carrots can be cut in thin sticks instead of being sliced. Popcorn should be served a few pieces at a time. If you let a small child have access to a large bowl of popcorn they will grab an entire handful and stuff the whole quantity in their mouth.

There is also a danger from small objects that are sticky enough to get stuck in a child's throat. An example of this is pins or small parts of toys. Toys should be age appropriate so that children under age three, for example, are not playing with toys that have parts small enough to swallow or choke on. This can be difficult if there is an older brother's or sister's toys in the proximity of a toddler sibling who is playing in the same room. It takes a great deal of vigilance on the part of the parent to be sure that an older child's toys are kept out of the way of the younger. It is also a good idea to practice good housekeeping practices as much as possible and to have the older sibling pick up their toys after play. However this is a responsibility that ultimately the parent must shoulder since the older sibling is a child too, and a child cannot always be expected to be perfect about picking up after themselves.

Used toys should also be watched for breakages or wear that can cause parts to come off. An example of this is a doll's buttons. Some toys when new may have been labeled for a young child but are not durable enough to not shed small parts when a child chews on it or pulls on it. Although manufacturers and governments will issue recalls, there is usually some vigilant parent who first notices the problem and must report it. Always try to be that vigilant parent. As a general rule if an object is small enough to pass through a cardboard toilet paper tube, the object is small enough for a child under age three to choke on or swallow.

Another choking danger comes from objects that are soft and impermeable. These are things like plastics bags and balloons. Any kind of plastic wrap, sheeting or bag can be a danger if a child bites off pieces of it and inhales or swallows it. Plastic is also dangerous because it can cover the mouth and nose of the child together and keep them from breathing. Never allow a child to put a plastic bag over their head. Balloons are safe enough if they are supervised by adults. The danger from balloons is when they pop and the little pieces can be choked on. Also a partially inflated balloon is dangerous for the same reason.

All parents should take a class in child CPR so they will know how to help in a choking emergency. If a child is choking, turning blue and not able to cough or talk then emergency personnel should be called at once. The Heimlich maneuver can be tried on children over the age of one, but never on babies less than that age. Most of all paying attention to the child and those objects around them is the key to avoiding those things that are known to be a danger.

Author Bio:

Gabriella Gometra, stay-at-home mother and writer, builds sites on a diverse number of topics, such as Spode Christmas tree dinnerware. Enjoy a festive Christmas dinnerware set on your family's dining table this December.

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