If your child puts something in her mouth like a piece of candy, seed, or grape and it gets lodged in her throat, follow these steps:
If she is coughing noisily and is able to speak or make sounds:
- Stay by her side and watch her. Do not interfere as long as she is coughing noisily. This means she is trying to dislodge the object herself.
- If you are worried about her breathing, call 9-1-1.
If your child cannot breathe, is coughing but not making any noise, or cannot speak or make sounds:
- Call for help and ask someone to call 9-1-1.
- Begin first aid choking technique appropriate for your child’s age. The technique is different for babies under age one than it is for children over the age of 1.
Photo: Danielle Landry
Once the choking episode is over, take your child to the emergency room. A doctor will make sure there are no complications.
Baby under the age of 1 who is choking
- Quickly lay her face down over your forearm. Use your thigh for support. Make sure her head is lower than her body. Hold her head and jaw in one hand.
- With the palm of your other hand, give up to 5 forceful blows between her shoulder blades.
If the object is not expelled:
- Turn her over onto her back. Continue to hold her head and keep it lower than the rest of her body.
- Place two fingers in the middle of her chest, just below an imaginary line between the nipples. Give 5 quick, forceful thrusts. Compress the chest at least 4 cm (1.5 in.), avoiding the tip of the sternum.
- Continue giving 5 forceful back blows followed by 5 chest thrusts, and repeat until your child is breathing, coughing, or crying, or until she loses consciousness.
If a choking baby under the age of 1 loses consciousness
- Lay the infant face up on a hard, flat surface (e.g., a table).
- Gently tap her foot and yell her name. If she does not react, she is unconscious.
- Call for help and ask someone to call 9-1-1.
- Check her breathing: if your unconscious baby is not breathing, follow the steps below.
- Give 30 chest compressions:
- Place two fingers in the middle of her chest, just below the imaginary line between the nipples. Avoid touching the tip of the sternum.
- Push down the chest 30 times. Push hard and fast. Push straight down about 4 cm (1.5 in.) at a frequency of at least 100 times per minute. Let the chest return to its normal position after each push.
- Open the airways and remove the object from her mouth if you can:
- To open the airways, place one hand on her forehead to tilt her head back slightly and use two fingers to lift her chin.
- Look in her mouth. If you see something that you can remove easily, take it out. Do not try a blind finger sweep (try to remove something you can’t see) because you could push it in further.
- If she is still not breathing, give 2 breaths:
- Keeping her airways open, take a breath, cover her mouth and nose with your mouth, and give 2 breaths (one second per breath). Your baby’s chest should rise with each breath.
- Repeat series of 30 compressions and 2 breaths, checking to see if you can remove the object from her mouth after each series of compressions.
- After two minutes or 5 series of 30 compressions and 2 breaths, call 9-1-1 if no one has done so already.
- Repeat steps 5 through 7 until your baby regains consciousness or the ambulance arrives.
Child age 1 or older who is choking
Photo: Danielle Landry
Once the choking episode is over, take your child to the emergency room. A doctor will make sure there are no complications.
- Kneel down behind the child and wrap your arms around her waist.
- Make a fist with one hand and put the thumb side against your child’s abdomen, just above her belly button.
- Grasp your fist with your other hand and give quick inward and upward thrusts into your child’s abdomen.
- Repeat the abdominal thrusts (Heimlich manoeuvre) until the object is expelled and your child can breathe, cough, or speak, or until she loses consciousness.
If a choking child age 1 or older loses consciousness
- Lay her face up on a hard surface.
- Give her a gentle tap and yell her name. If she does not react, she is unconscious.
- Call for help and ask someone to call 9-1-1.
- Check her breathing. If your unconscious child is not breathing, follow the steps below.
- Give 30 chest compressions:
- Place the palm of one or both of your hands (one over the other) in the middle of your child’s chest, over the lower half of her sternum.
- Push down the chest 30 times. Push hard and fast. Push straight down forcefully and quickly about 5 cm (2 in.) at a frequency of at least 100 times per minute. Let the chest return to its normal position after each compression.
- Open the airways and remove the object from her mouth if you can:
- To open the airways, place one hand on her forehead to tilt her head back slightly and use two fingers to lift her chin.
- Look in her mouth. If you see something that you can remove easily, take it out. Do not try a blind finger sweep (try to remove something you can’t see) because you could push it in further.
- Give 2 breaths:
- Keeping the airways open, pinch your child’s nose closed.
- Take a breath, cover her mouth with your mouth, and give 2 breaths (one second per breath). Your child’s chest should rise with each breath.
- Repeat series of 30 compressions and 2 breaths, checking to see if you can remove the object from her mouth after each series of compressions.
- After two minutes or 5 series of 30 compressions and 2 breaths, call 9-1-1 if no one has done so already.
- Repeat steps 5 through 7 until your child regains consciousness or the ambulance arrives.
Sternum: Flat bone in the middle of the chest.