THIS IS VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN

What to do: Choking - Facts and Prevention
Children are naturally inquisitive and get to know the world by using their senses - including touch and taste. It may be part of the learning process to put things in their mouths but the risk of choking is high in young children and babies whose airwaves are narrower and who have not yet developed adult teeth.

So what is choking and how can you tell if a child is genuinely choking? Choking is defined as a blockage of the airway by a foreign body or fluid, such as blood or vomit, preventing passage of air to the lungs. You can tell a child is choking if they have difficulty speaking and breathing, their lips or skin are blue or they are gasping and signalling towards their throat.



What is most likely to cause choking?
Children are at most risk of choking when they are tired, crying or running around. Try to feed young children and babies before they get too tired to concentrate on eating properly. If your child is crying don't try to give him any food - even a sweet to calm him down is a bad idea. Mealtimes can be stressful, especially if your child does not want to eat certain foods. Calm the child down and ensure sobs have subsided before allowing them to eat. Children can't be stopped from dashing around or playing in the house - or outside, so make it a family rule that children sit down every time they eat.

Food:

Reconstituted meat such as hotdogs or burgers can be difficult for young children to swallow.
Raw vegetables can be a choking hazard, so cutting them into small strips is always a good policy.
Fruits with skins such as grapes, plums and apples be difficult for babies and toddlers to chew, cut them into small pieces and consider peeling them.
Chewing gum don't give this to children.
Sweets such as hard or chewy toffee and boiled sweets are a definite no-go area for children under five and should be avoided by older children too - they're bad for the teeth anyway.
Fishbones - ask your fishmonger, most supermarkets have their own, to fillet the fish and tell them it's for a child. Check ready packaged fish for bones before and after cooking and ask older children to be on the alert while eating fish.

Non-food

Any small objects such as coins, which are the most common cause of choking in the under fives, toy parts, marbles, pen tops etc, can become lodged in a child's throat so keep them out of reach.
Deflated or uninflated balloons can take the shape of a child's windpipe or airway, so supervise children closely.
Other substances such as plastic wrappings may also pose a hazard.


What can I do?
If you think your child is choking, ask them to talk - if they can talk, there is some air getting through. If a child can only signal or looks in distress, immediate action is necessary. There are some excellent first aid resources dealing with choking and it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with some basic techniques or take a first aid course.

To childproof your house against choking hazards, get down to baby level and look for dangerous items; a crawling child will find all sorts of tasty looking items, which you might not have spotted up there. Remember to check under furniture and between cushions. Train older children to keep anything with small parts out of reach and always follow age recommendations on packaging.

Choking facts

Nearly 5000 children in the UK are taken to hospital every year after choking, over half the children treated are under five years old and most of these accidents occur at home.
Toys account for only a small proportion of choking cases - Non-food choking accidents are most often caused by coins in children age 3 and under.
Almost half of all choking accidents in young children involve food - sweets and fishbones are the most common causes.
Asphyxia (choking, strangulation and suffocation) is the third most common cause of death in UK children.


I didn't know the stats were so high. Alot could happen in half an hour of 'responsible parenting'.

LJC

Yes - very good article for parents - and also for illuminating the fact that small children should not be unsupervised - (playpens are useful) and any items small enough to be placed in the mouth/ear/nose especially with very young children - should be tidied away. It's useful knowledge and parents should try and keep areas where children play as uncluttered as possible.

"Asphyxia (choking, strangulation and suffocation) is the third most common cause of death in UK children."

This sentence at the end of your post reminded me about a recent incident with the cord on blinds. I think this is something which can easily happen with toddlers - they get caught in the cord hanging down at the side of the blind (UK) : with permission from Admin. link below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251148/Two-children-die-strangling-window-blind-cords.html

Angelique

Thank you for highlighting this. Of course it should have been abundantly clear to the McCanns that this is exactly the sort of reason you just never, ever dine 'at the bottom of your parlk-sized garden'.

As for the article itself - please don't forget NUTS (never give these to kids under school-going age) which are by far the commonest cause here where I am. There are many more cases of coins being swallowed here than inhaled. It's the quickest way of making a 'deposit' and then expecting 'interest' known to man.

And as the article has already been posted, here's some alternative and extra info for free. Don't ask me who wrote it

CHOKING

Immediate response essential

ASK: “are you choking”?

RESPONDS VERBALLY, COUGHS, BREATHING: OBSERVE.
NO RESPONSE: START CPR IMMEDIATELY. LOOK IN MOUTH FOR FOREIGN BODY AT EACH RESCUE BREATH. DO NOT ATTEMPT BLIND REMOVAL. Call emergency services (phone fast) AFTER 5 CYCLES OF CPR
NODS, SILENT COUGH, BLUE: START TREATMENT FOR CHOKING.

Methods and techniques for treatment of choking:
Under 1 year: Support on lap, head low
Alternate back slaps/chest thrusts as for CPR (4, 4)
1 to 8 years: Sit child on lap, facing forward
Alternate back slaps, abdominal thrusts (one fist)
Over 8 years: Treat in position as found
Back slaps, abdominal thrusts (double fisted)
REMOVE FOREIGN OBJECT WHEN VISIBLE, OR LET VICTIM DO IT
IF RESPONSIVE VICTIM BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE, START CPR

Abdominal thrust (Heimlich maneouvre):
Rescuer behind with arm(s) encircling victim
Fist, thumb knuckle below breastbone, other hand holds fist
Thrust firmly up- and inward. Repeat till object dislodged.

Back slaps
Use ball of hand. Sharp slaps between shoulder blades.

PREVENTION:
MEALTIME: sit, small pieces, no talking or laughing when chewing
AVOID: nuts, raisins, popcorn, hard sweets, seeds, unripe fruit
and raw vegetables
REMOVE: pips, seeds (watermelon), grape skins
BEWARE: coins, toys (lucky/happy packs), batteries, sewing kits
GO ON A HANDS AND KNEES TOUR AT HOME!

Don't give toddlers metal spoons to play with, if you have an open-bar electric fire

acoreding to my mum she left me and my twin alone forasecond and he bit my leg to pieces what was he a vampire lmao i had to go to the dr i think lol!!!!!! what a nerve!!!!!!!!!!!!!! another reason why toddlers shouldnt be left alone

jfak

Horrendous, perhaps he was hungry! I can't imagine how you must have felt. I hope he is are more affectionate now.

Angelique

Angelique wrote:jfak

Horrendous, perhaps he was hungry! I can't imagine how you must have felt. I hope he is are more affectionate now.

Angelique

lol we were only like 2 or 3 i dont actully remember it but it proves with toddlers ANYTHING CAN happen my mum had 2 twins under 3 anda new baby so it was nt her fault but it proves even if the mcanns checked every 20 minutes or so as they say anything could have happned