You need to recognise when a baby is choking you can do this by:-

• is breathing is obstructed
• trying to cough but making strange noises or no sound
• face may turn blue

What to do

DO NOT Shake a baby

Lay your baby face down with his head low along your forearm. Support his head and shoulders on uour hand. Give five sharp slaps to the upper part of his back.

Turn him face up along your other arm. Look in his mouth and remove any obvious obstruction with one finger. Do not feel blindly down the baby's throat.

If back slaps fail, place two fingers on the lower half of your baby's breastbone and give five sharp downward thrusts at a rate of one very three seconds. These act as artificial coughs. Check the mouth again.

If the blockage hasn't cleared. repeats the above three times.

Take yor baby with you and call an Ambulance

Summary

• GIVE 5 SHARP BACK SLAPS
• CHECK MOUTH
• GIVE 5 CHEST THRUSTS
• CHECK MOUTH
• Repeat cycle of 5 back slaps, mouth check, 5 chest thrusts, mouth check three times.
• CALL AN AMBULANCE
• Repeat sequence until help arrives or the obstruction clears

We are not experts in first aid, this is just a guide from us to assist you, if you want to learn more about First Aid for Children you should contact your local health service and find out what courses are available in your area.