Choking Hazards in Children

Choking Hazard in a household with kids isn’t a newfound issue. You have either unfortunately experienced it, or fortunately is aware of it and your prevention game is on point!

Raising babies is one of the toughest jobs on this earth, we agree. From birth to toddlerhood, it definitely is the hardest period for any parent. Not only as a first-time parent, but every parent would also agree that no matter how much information and knowledge you have about babies, there’s always something new to learn about parenting. There is so much care that needs to be put into taking care of babies and toddlers, no joke.

One of the most important things to consider when raising a baby is the Choking Hazard. It is one of the main causes of unintentional death in children. Children tend to choke easily as their windpipes are very small. It is therefore highly important to know the causes of coking in order to easily prevent baby/toddler choking.

Choking Hazards in Babies:

Choking in babies is when small objects completely or partially block the airway of the toddler making it unable for the toddler to breathe. There are many reasons for choking in children such as food, toys, buttons, batteries, and all kinds of small objects.

Choking is common in babies as well and not just toddlers! Here are certain reasons that cause Choking Hazards in a little bundle of joys:

Food – As babies start on solids, it is possible for them to choke on food. They are yet to learn how to chew and swallow properly and until they are able to do so, choking is possible.

Some foods that are Choking Hazards for babies:

Whole nuts

Popcorn

Raw vegetables

Raw apples

Meat chunks

Pomegranates

Whole corn kernels

Raisins

Whole grapes

Candies

Sausages

Toys – Babies take everything they hold in their hands towards their mouths, and most of the toys are choking hazards for babies.

Some examples of toys that could lead to choking hazards are:

Small toys

Toys with beads

Soft toys with bead eyes, nose, and small parts

Toys with batteries

Random household objects – Now this is nothing surprising with babies crawling around or toddlers running around and picking anything and everything they come across. Even if it’s every day using the item, they will still hold it and examine it like it’s the first time they’re coming across something as such.

Hence, some examples of random objects that could cause choking hazards:

Coins

Buttons

Marbles

Beads

Marbles

Bottle caps

Cords

Strings

How to prevent babies from Choking Hazards:

Introduce solid foods at the right time.

As much as you want to introduce solid foods for your baby, it is equally important to introduce it at the right time! This is the first step towards preventing babies from Choking Hazards. How? Since they have been feeding on milk alone the whole time, they will be more curious to figure out the taste of everything else around them.

Hence, this whole new process of food, eating a variety of food according to their age and ability, of course, will guarantee they don’t just go about stuffing anything inside their little mouths. Not to forget that the right time to introduce solids is after at least 4 months. To prevent babies from choking it is best to look out if your baby is ready for it. The baby should have developed the motor skill to swallow the given solid food.

Puree or mash their food well:

As babies are yet to learn to chew or swallow the introduced food well, it is best to puree or mash their food completely to prevent them from choking hazards. Avoid any kinds of lumps or bits and pieces of solids in their baby food.

Start the food with a little liquid consistency and gradually as the baby gets used to swallowing well, you can offer foods with less liquid to prevent babies from choking. This makes it easier for babies to swallow and in time, learn to do it well. Become a pro at eating, in other words!

Don’t offer food that is hard to chew or swallow:

As listed above, parents shouldn’t offer hard foods to babies. Offer foods that are mashed and pureed as much as possible. Do not offer foods like popcorn, marshmallows, chocolates, or candies of any kind. Fruits should be mashed or pureed, vegetables boiled and mashed and nuts can be powdered and added to any pureed fruit.

By doing this, you not only prevent babies from choking but also provide them with tasty food, like imagine nuts and pureed fruits? Isn’t it making your mouth watery already?!

Avoid distractions for babies during meal times:

Avoid all sorts of distractions for babies during meal times like moving around or making babies laugh to prevent babies from choking. The most ideal way to feed a baby is to place him/ her in a high chair or simply positioned in one place with fewer distractions.

The main sorts of distractions parents of this generation need to avoid are mobile phones, TVs, playing gadgets, and or any other sort of toys most parents give their babies in the hope of them eating quickly. It isn’t about eating quickly but the baby is only losing focus on his/her food and simply gobbling everything up. This is DOWNRIGHT BAD.

Keep objects leading to choking hazards out of reach of babies:

Look out for small toys, broken toys, batteries, and all kinds of small objects that could fit into a baby’s mouth to prevent babies from choking. Keep these kinds of Choking Hazards away from the reach of babies.

Choking Hazards for toddlers:

Your baby is a toddler now but that doesn’t mean your toddler is completely safe from choking hazards. There are still so many choking hazards for toddlers.

Listed below are some of the possible choking hazards for toddlers.

Food – Even though your toddler is now able to chew and swallow foods, there are certain foods that still may cause choking in toddlers.

Examples of such kinds of food:

Uncut berries, grapes, or tomatoes

Whole nuts

Whole corn kernels

Large pieces of any kinds of fruits or raw vegetables

Large chunks of meat

Bones in meat or fish

Hard, gummy, chewy, sticky candies

Jelly beans

Marshmallows

Popcorns

Chewing gums

Hotdogs

Things around the house that may be within toddler’s reach – Some things that are easily found and kept lying around the house may cause more harm than you think.

Examples of such objects are:

Buttons

Coins

Batteries

Marbles

Beads

Toy wheels

Bottle caps

Pen caps

Plastic bags

Magnets

Small toy blocks

How to Prevent Choking Hazards in Toddlers:

Offer small pieces of cut fruits:

Offering quite large pieces of fruits to toddlers can lead to choking in toddlers. Grapes must never be given whole to toddlers. They must be cut into quarters most preferably before handing over to a toddler. Other similar hard fruits must also be cut into small pieces.

Keep a watch while your toddler eats:

At this stage, you will be offering foods for your toddler to eat on their own. This is when there are more chances of choking in toddlers. To prevent this from happening, always watch your toddler while they eat.

Make sure your toddler is sitting upright while eating:

Sitting upright in a proper position while eating is very important to prevent choking in toddlers. Make sure your toddler is seated on a high chair or in a good sitting position while eating.

Keep the toddler away from distractions while eating:

This is the same rule as for babies! Make sure your toddler is not distracted while they sit to eat to prevent choking in the toddler. It is best to avoid toddlers from running around, talking, or laughing while eating. Avoid handing them any sort of electronic or play gadgets as well.

Never offer your toddler hard foods:

Make sure not to offer crisps to toddlers. Tough meat that is hard to chew can easily lead to choking in toddlers too. Cook the meat well until soft before offering it to your toddler. Hard candies and nuts are best to avoid.

Don’t let your toddler play with small toys:

Toddlers still put anything and everything they find into their mouths. Toys are the things they spend most time with and are usually left unattended as most parents think toys cause no harm. Negative. Small, broken and damaged toys can cause choking hazards in toddlers if toddler attempts to mouth them. Never offer small toys, ones that have small parts, and toys that include batteries to your toddler which might lead to choking.

Keep hazardous objects away from the toddler:

At this stage, toddlers move around the house and start exploring their environment and surroundings. So, keep the home and surrounding clean and safe for toddlers. Keep all kinds of small objects such as coins, buttons, and such things away from your toddler’s reach to prevent choking in toddler.

Never leave your toddler unattended:

Toddlers need to be watched all the time except for when they are sleeping. We can never tell what the toddler is up to so it’s always best to keep an eye on your toddler while they eat, play, and move around to prevent choking in toddlers.

Watch what your toddler plays with:

As toddlers spend most of their time playing, always watch what they are playing with while at home or even in the garden to prevent choking hazards in toddlers.

Look out for warnings in toys:

When you buy toys for your toddler, always look for the warning that comes with them. Usually, a suitable age is mentioned on the cover. Never offer toys for your toddler if your toddler has not reached the appropriate mentioned age category to prevent choking hazards in toddlers.

HOW TO HELP A BABY OR TODDLER IF THEY CHOKE?

Even with so much care, sometimes babies and toddlers tend to choke. Hence, in the right way, with the right care, you can help your baby or toddler if they are choking or choked.

When you find out that your baby or toddler is choking, NEVER panic. As a parent, if you handle the situation well, you can help your choking baby or toddler.

• Place your choking baby or toddler face down on your forearm. Use your hand to support the head.
• Give up to 5 pats on the back, a little, not too hard, on the back between the shoulder blades with your hand.
• If the object does not come out, turn baby and give up to 5 chest thrusts with 2 fingers just as you would for CPR.
• Repeat again from 5 back-pats to 5 chest thrusts until the object comes out.
• If you are unable to help your choking baby yet, call for emergency as soon as possible.

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Created on Feb 26th 2022 07:10. Viewed 204 times.

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