What First Aid a Babysitter can give a Choking Child

Choking is a very common problem of younger children; if you do not give first aid in time, it can have serious consequences. The key to dealing with this situation is to stay calm (difficult though it may be) and do with a clear head what is required to unblock the child’s airway. Given below are first aid ideas for choking children of different age groups.

Infants

• Place the baby in a face-down position between your elbow and forearm or on your lap.
• Keep the head  lowered and the rest of the body raised.
• Support the head by holding the jaw with one hand.
• Using the heel of the other hand, deliver five quick slaps between the shoulder blades of the baby.
• If the blocking of the airway continues, hold the baby with her face up, and the head still lowered and the rest of the body raised.
• Using two fingers, give five quick thrusts to the center of the chest.
• If required, repeat these two processes alternately until the choke is cleared.

Ages 1 to 4

• Stand behind the child with your arms around his waist.
• Make one hand into a fist and place it with the thumb and the fingers resting on the stomach below the rib cage and a little above the navel.
• Use the other hand to push the first inwards and upwards repeatedly.
• If the choke continues to remain, alternate with backslaps and try to clear it.

Older Children

• Ask the child “Are you Choking?” or “Can’t you breathe?” If the response is ‘yes’ check to see if she is coughing or gagging.
• If so, the airway may be blocked only partially. Ask the child to cough as hard as she can. This may dislodge the blockage.
• If it  is complete blockage, use a combination of pressing against the stomach above the navel, and backslaps (as described above) to clear the choke.
• Do not try to remove the object from the throat even if it is visible, as it may become more firmly lodged in the process.

When to call for help

If the child shows any of the following symptoms or continues to show any despite efforts to clear the blockage, call 911 immediately:

• Worsening of  wheezing or gaspinginability to talk, cry or make any sounds
• The face turning blue
• Clutching or pawing at the throat
• Becoming unconscious

Does your babysitter know what to do in case a child chokes? If she doesn’t, or if you are unsure about her abilities, use the information given here to tell her what to do. Impress upon her that remaining calm  is vital  in  dealing with a choking child. Get a big doll and give a demonstration of the first aid tips. A properly trained babysitter should not panic; she should know what she can do herself and when to call for help.