The American Academy of Pediatrics released a new policy statement on choking as choking is the leading cause of injury and death amongst children, most likely if they are 4 years and younger!Facts about choking
- Food, coins and toys cause the most choking related incidents
- In the USA every five days a child will die from choking on food
- Only toys are regulated to have warning labels because of choking hazards - no regulations for high risk foods
- Many "kid friendly" foods like pop corn, grapes and nuts are potentially dangerous!
- Greatest risk comes from Hot dogs as they can block exactly the airway of little children
- Do not give children younger than 4 any round, firm foods unless they have been cut into very small pieces.
- Cut hot dogs lengthwise and cut grapes into quarters. This changes the dangerous round shape that can block a young child’s throat.
- Do not give toddlers other high risk foods, such as hard candy, nuts, seeds and raw carrots.
- Never let small children run, play or lie down while eating.
- Keep coins and other small items out of reach of young children at all times.
- Carefully read warning labels on toys before giving them to young children.
- To check if a part of a toy is too small, use a small parts test device, which is available at many toy stores.
- Additionally, parents and caregivers should learn first aid for choking and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the event a choking episode occurs.
Thanks for the list of prevention tips to choking of kids. This is worth remembering especially for me who still have 3 children under 6 years old. It's just horrible to think about the many news I've heard about children being hospitalized because of swallowing small objects like car tires or coins. But blocking the airways are fatal if not given proper action.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good list. I think I was able to do this when my son was younger. I always cut his food into small pieces. :D :D
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