Do you know how to recognize the signs of choking or what to do if it happens?
According to Nancy Tofil, M.D., the director of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care at Children’s of Alabama, choking is one of the most common causes of unintentional injury or fatality among children. It is most common for children under the age of 3. Choking is usually caused by food, toys, or other small objects that can get stuck in a child’s windpipe.
“If you think about a child, their airway is the size of their pinky,” said Tofil. “So, it is much smaller than our pinky and our airway, which makes them much more likely to choke.”
Children younger than 4 years old should avoid eating foods that are easy to choke on, such as nuts, raw carrots, popcorn, and hard and gooey candy. Foods like hot dogs and grapes should be cut into small pieces.
If your child is choking, call 911 immediately or have someone else call. If you are trained to perform the Heimlich maneuver, do so immediately. To see a demonstration of how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, watch the video below.
