Toddler choking warning

Forreal

Just a reminder that peanuts, whole grapes, uncooked fruit and veg and anything else hard and small can present a choking risk to children under four.

Toddlers need their food cooked to soften it or chopped up to finger size pieces - never leave any child, whatever age to eat without supervision.

I say this as tonight, where I am, a fifteen month old sadly choked to death on a chickpea. Please pass the message on to your friends with children then perhaps this little ones death won't be in vain.

looby75

OMG that is so sad of all the things I would have thought likely for a child to choke on a chick pea wouldn't have been on the list!

Carmina_Piranha_3

a chickpea? was it cooked?

that's so sad

victory

no I wouldn't have put a chick pea on the list either but def a satsuma piece because that is what a friend of a friend's child choked on while he was playing in his bedroom and the mum was downstairs catching up with the housework.....xxx

cooperbob

We had a close call when our youngest was born we went to visit my wife in hospital with our other children complete with grapes and flowers etc Ruby who was 2 pulled off a grape and put it near Jim the newborns mouth an nature took over his sucking reflex kicked in and in went the grape!!!
We did get it out immediately but it was a scare for sure.

Carmina_Piranha_3

i had a scare with one of my babies too - it was a 5p coin!! no idea where he found it. luckily the hospital talked me through what to do - i phoned them. when you panic everything you've been told about baby first aid goes completely out of your head :eek:

Rachie_B

that is so sad

and also not just placing things in their mouths but up noses and in ears etc and getting stuck!

looneyleo

My little boy choked and stopped breathing when he was 10 months. He was at my mum's at the time and I rushed from work to find the paramedics there...it was awful. It transpired he had been in my mum's handbag and taken an old sweet wrapper and eaten it...came out a few days later! You just can't be too careful with any small item and toddlers...there but for the grace of the big one...still cry about it now when I think what could have happened...so sorry it happened to this family

nikiyoung

Personally, speaking as a mum of 2 dd's I feel that we should ALL have to know some basic first aid for kids. perhaps it should be part of a post / pre natal course?
When my DD1 choked on a bread stick at her 1st birthday party I wouldn't have known what to do but thanks to something i had seen on tv i had a vauge idea on what to do.
Niki

Minerva_2

That is so very sad.

I also heard of friend of a friend's 2 year old choking to death on a grape, I still cut them in half now, even for my three year old!

Nikki - very good point about the basic first aid course, I think it would be more useful then some of the stuff I learnt at my ante natal course!

Minerva

Carmina_Piranha_3

yes, of course first aid is a good idea but i found that my brain was full of cotton wool when my boy was choking and i had to be told what to do by the staff on the phone. i suppose if i'd never read anything about what to do for a choking baby then it would have been harder for them to remind me of what to do though.