I’m a pediatrician. This is what you do if a baby is choking
Dr. Grace Arteaga, of the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, offered advice on how to help children choke
A pediatrician has revealed what to do if a baby or young child suddenly starts choking on food or a small toy.
Mayo clinic physician Grace Arteaga told DailyMail.com that parents should hold babies face down on their laps or a surface and pat their backs firmly until the blockage clears.
But for those ages one to eight, she said, it was possible to try the Heimlich maneuver — where you stand behind the person, fold both hands in front of their chest, and pull in and up.
Dr. Arteaga warned that many well-intentioned people make the mistake of reaching down a child’s throat to clear the blockage. She said, “This can actually force it further down.”
It comes after two Los Angeles security guards were praised for their quick thinking after stepping in to save the life of a choking baby – caught on camera in dramatic footage.
One pediatrician explained that it was best to lay a child face down and pat the back firmly and repeatedly until the food dislodged (see above).
In children from one to eight years old, it may be possible to perform the Heimlich maneuver, in which someone folds two hands in front of the child’s abdomen and pulls in to help dislodge the food
It comes after heroic security guards rescued a baby who was choking at a gas station in Beverly Hills, California.
Video footage shows Marine veteran Niko Nesbeth and his partner Joey Madrigal rushing to grab the baby, then holding them face down before patting their backs repeatedly.
Jose Peraza, a gas station attendant who comforted the mother, said, “She was devastated.
“He was dying, not breathing or something. So some guards helped her.’
When someone is choking, they stop breathing and cannot talk to others.
But if someone is coughing vigorously and still talking, it means the blockage is only partial and they should be encouraged to keep coughing to loosen it.
Dr. Arteaga told DailyMail.com that when a child is choking, people should contact emergency services and then try to clear the blockage.
Pictured above is an adult attempting the Heimlich maneuver on a child who was choking
She said, “For babies and very young children, sit down and extend your leg, and turn the baby or child on it face down.
“Then you start beating on the back until you dislodge what is choking them.
‘Do not [pat their back] too powerful because you can injure the sternum, break ribs and damage the internal organs.
“You just have to knock hard, but you don’t have to hit the back, you hit the back. It’s this constant movement that allows that foreign body to move from where it’s stuck.”
She said it was best to tap the back rhythmically five times repeatedly until the object dislodges or emergency services arrive.
When asked about older children ages one to eight, she said it was best to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
This involves wrapping your arms around a person, making a fist with one hand, placing it between the ribcage and navel, then pushing the hands into the abdomen until the object comes off.
Dr. Arteaga said, “If you are an elderly or infirm person and you have a child, it will be very difficult to put them half upside down on your leg.
“You try not to maneuver too forcefully because you could injure the kids. Try it at least two or three times until you can get it loose.”
More than 12,000 children are brought to the emergency room each year suffering from choking, statistics show, and one child dies every five days from choking on food.
Dr. Arteaga said they normally treat about two cases of childhood choking a year in their department alone.
Items that can cause choking in children include peanuts, kernels in popcorn, small hot dog slices, hard candy, small toys, and large apple pieces.
Some parents may be tempted to stick their fingers down a child’s throat to try to remove the object causing the obstruction.
But dr. Arteaga warned against this. She said: “Don’t slip your finger in the mouth while trying to retrieve the choking object because sometimes that can push that foreign body further down, so it could be worse that way.”
“You start to see that there’s more of a problem when a baby isn’t responding or a young child isn’t responding because they’re starting to turn blue and pass out.”