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.
