LISTEN UP!
Shocking video reveals what a choking child really sounds like – 8 first aid tips you must know
Plus, how to help your little one according to their age
IF YOUR little one chokes on a bite of food or knickknack they found on the floor, you might think you'd be alerted to it by coughing or sputtering sounds.
But first aiders have warned that children might make no sound at all during this health emergency.
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The team of healthcare experts behind baby and child first aid page posted a to their page captioned "This is what choking sounds like".
Though you might strain your ears and turn your sound all the way up, you wouldn't pick up any sound from the clip.
This isn't a technical glitch, according to Tiny Hearts.
"Can't hear anything?" the first aiders asked. "That's because choking is silent.
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"Always supervise children when they are eating," they added.
In the post caption, the healthcare experts said that if you're little one can't make any noise, can't cough and can't breathe, then this means they are choking.
"This is when you will need to start choking first aid treatment on them," they stressed.
The first aid team shared a useful phrase so you can remember what to do if you're faced with this health emergency: "Five to stay alive".
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This means you need to give your child five back blows, followed by five chest thrusts if they can't make a sound or breathe due to an object blocking their airway.
Choking first aid tips
If you're faced with the distressing prospect of your child choking, don't panic - there are a few things you can do, according to the NHS:
- First, carefully try to remove the object but only if you can see it - DO NOT poke blindly with your fingers as you could push the object further in
- If your child is coughing loudly, keep them coughing to see if they can bring up the object they're choking on
- If their coughing is silent or they can't breathe properly, shout shout for help immediately
- If your little one is still conscious but their coughing is silent or they're not coughing, use back blows and chest or abdominal thrusts
- Continue until object is dislodged - if it does't after trying back blows and thrusts, call 999
- Don't leave your child - keep trying the cycle until help arrives
- Get help even if the object comes out, as part of the object might have been left behind or you might have hurt your child in the process
- If your child becomes unconscious, put them on a firm, flat surface and call 999 with a speakerphone so your hands are free
For back blows, you should sit down and lay your baby face down down along your thigh or forearm, supporting their back and head with your hand. Try to do the same with children over the age of one or support them in a forward-leaning position, the NHS advised.
Give five sharp back blows with the heel of your hand in the middle of the back between your little one's shoulder blades.
They need to be forceful enough to dislodge the food.
First aider Nikki Jurcutz from Tiny Hearts Education said parents previously warned that "saving your child's life is the priority over a bruised back".
You should give your little one chest thrusts if they're under a year old, the NHS said.
You need to:
- Lay your baby face up along the length of your thighs
- Find the breastbone and place two fingers in the middle
- Give five sharp chest thrusts, compressing the chest by about a third
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If your child is older, give their abdominal thrusts:
- Stand or kneel behind your child and placing your arms under their arms and around their upper abdomen
- Clench your fist and place it between the navel and ribs
- Grasp this hand with your other hand and pulling sharply inwards and upwards
- Repeat up to five times
- Make sure you don't apply pressure to the lower ribcage, as this may cause damage
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