When our daughter was about 18 months old, I held her in the kitchen as she munched on some dry cereal. Suddenly, she began gasping for breath. It was every parent’s nightmare: a choking child.
Abruptly, our daughter coughed, and several pieces of cereal flew out of her mouth. She recovered in moments. I, however, still feel a knot in my stomach when I think about how differently the scene could have played out.
Choking is a common cause of death and injury among infants and toddlers. This is due to small airways, inexperience with chewing and swallowing, inability to cough forcefully enough to dislodge an obstruction, and the fact that babies tend to put everything in their mouths.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 60 percent of non-fatal choking incidents in young children result from food. What can you do to help prevent choking?
Food Prep Tips
Babies should not eat solids until they are at least 4 months old. Food larger than a pea can get stuck in small throats, so always puree, mash or grind food until it is soft enough for your baby to gum. Vegetables should be cooked before pureeing or mashing. Soft fruits can be cut into pea-sized pieces.
When preparing food for a toddler, fruits and vegetables can be diced or shredded. Cut meat and cheese into pea-sized pieces.
Bread, especially white, turns gummy when mixed with saliva and can get stuck in the throat, so break off small pieces for young children. Avoid giving toddlers big globs of peanut butter, which can get stuck in the throat. Instead, spread peanut butter thinly on crackers or bread; you can mix it with applesauce to make it even thinner.
Dr. Robert Stein, a pediatrician with Child Care Limited in Kansas City, advises, “Avoid giving babies and toddlers snacks that an adult is having, such as chips, nuts, grapes, hotdogs, chewy fruit snacks and hard candies or mints.”
Safe Environment
An adult can follow all the recommendations mentioned above, but if a child is running around the house with cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk’s and a fistful of food ready to shove in, he is in danger of choking.
Dr. Stein says that adults must create a safe environment for babies and toddlers while they are eating. The number one way to do this? Make sure your tot is seated in a high chair during meals and snacks. Children who are allowed to run, walk and play while eating are more likely to choke. Even the combination of watching TV and eating can create a distraction that could lead to choking.
Providing small amounts of food at a time and offering plenty of liquids can also reduce the likelihood of choking.
Non-Food Hazards
When a baby finds something lying on the floor, what’s the first thing he does? Leave it alone and crawl away? Nope, he usually pops it in his mouth. Buttons, marbles, rocks, coins, button batteries, earrings and toys intended for older kids are just a few objects that babies like to explore with their mouths.
Dr. Stein tells parents about the toilet paper tube rule: “If an object can fit inside a toilet paper tube, then it is too small to play with.”
He adds that adults should never let children play unattended.
Nobody wants to think about a child choking, but it is important to know what to do if the unthinkable happens. Parents and other caregivers should take an infant and child CPR course, and take refresher courses once a year. Go to www.KCRedCross.org to find classes in your area.
Tisha Foley lives in Belton with her husband and two kids.