Tips to Safely Prevent Choking Babies

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Some data reveal that choking is one of the most common causes of death. This is because choking can inhibit the respiratory tract, even though the presence of oxygen has an important role in the human body.

Babies are ages who are prone to choking. This is because:

The baby is still not able to control food in his mouth.
Babies do not have molar teeth that can help destroy food. This will be more risky if the baby is less able to chew and swallow.
The size of the baby's breathing pathway is still limited.
Babies have high curiosity, one of the ways he does to answer this curiosity is through his mouth. Some objects that babies often put into their mouths include food, toys, and other small items that have the potential to cause the baby to choke. Then, how to prevent the baby from choking?

Tips to prevent babies from choking on food

Introduce your baby with solid food, at least when he reaches 4 months. Don't give it solid food before it has the motoric ability to swallow the food.
Do not offer high-risk foods such as cheese, wine, and vegetables that are still large in size, unless the food has been cut into small pieces. Also be careful with foods such as seeds, nuts, sweets, chewing gum, marshmallows, and other risky foods.
As the baby grows older, accompany him during meals. Don't let him eat while walking, running, playing. Remind him to swallow his food before talking. Don't let him play food-to-air-then-catch-with-mouth and other activities that have the potential to choke him.
Always throw bones or spines first on food, before you give the food to your baby.
Make sure your baby is alert and not drowsy while eating.
It's best not to give baby food when he is crying or laughing.
Teach your baby how to chew and swallow the right foods, by taking small pieces, chewing them, and eating slowly.
If your baby has an older sibling, you should also teach his sister not to provide food and toys that could potentially cause her sister to choke.

Prevent babies from choking on toys and small items

Check your baby's toys carefully. Toys made from latex balloons, will be dangerous when damaged because of their contents. Preferably, pay attention to the guidelines in the toy package before buying it and routinely check the condition of your baby's toys.
Keep out of reach of your baby, items that are usually at home, but potentially cause your baby to choke like coins and dice.
Teach your baby not to put the toy in his mouth.

How to deal with a choking baby?

First, make sure the baby can still make a sound or not.
If it turns out the baby can still speak, teach him to release the cause of the choking.
But if he is no longer able to speak out, bring him immediately to the nearest health worker.
It is best to find out what caused him to choke before you decide to help him by giving him a drink.
If you or someone around you is trained, you should give first aid with the action of abdominal thrust (heimlich) specifically for babies.