Today is the last day of ย Baby Safety Month, so I thought it fitting to share this information in order to help keep babies, children and adults safe!
Have you ever been eating and swallowed a big chunk of food and it got stuck in your throat? ย It’s a horrible feeling!
[Tweet “Each year, more than 2,800 people, mostly children, choke to death.”]
I have three major choking stories that pushed me to write this post:
1. ย We were on the way to church one Sunday morning when daughter #2, a preschooler at the time, choked on a peppermint disk. ย We had to pull over on the side of the road, grab her out of the car seat and perform the Heimlich maneuver. ย It seemed like time stood still and afterwards I was shaking in my shoes.
ย Find out the proper way to perform the Heimlich here! ย If you’re alone and are choking, you can self-administer the Heimlich! ย Here’s how!
2. ย A few years later, when that same daughter was elementary age, ย (what’s up with her???) she choked on a piece of hard candy during Sunday School and once again, I performed the Heimlich maneuver. ย Her lips had turned purple and I was about to go into panic mode when that hard candy finally dislodged and landed in the floor.
I think I should get a Heimlich maneuver award because I have that thing down pat.
Because of those two incidents, my daughter does not allow her children to eat hard candy disks.
3. ย Fast forward a couple dozen years to a night in Ft. Lauderdale. ย My husband and I had deposited daughter #3 in FL so she could attend makeup artistry school.
That evening, we treated ourselves to my favorite food, sushi, at a cool Ft. Lauderdale restaurant for dinner and then headed home (long drive) immediately afterwards. ย My husband likes to drive at night while I snooze away.
While I was eating sushi, ย all of a sudden it felt like I was choking and I kept clearing my throat and coughing. ย I told my husband that it felt like I had something stuck in my throat.
Finally, ย after we had eased on down the road a bit, I was still coughing, but breathing fine and (this part is gross) I finally stuck my finger down my throat and felt a bone (from the raw fish in the sushi) stuck in my tonsil! ย I’m serious! ย You can’t make this stuff up!
I asked my husband to stop and buy a pair of tweezers and a mirror. ย I was going to try to remove it myself. ย Yeah. ย Uh huh, ย Dr. Alli. ย That did not work.
After we had crossed over into South Carolina (yes, I had battled that bone for a while) and I realized the bone was not going anywhere, we stopped at the first emergency room we could find. ย My throat was numbed and the Dr. removed the bone with a long pair of tweezers. ย That was after everyone who worked in that small hospital came to see the woman with a sushi bone stuck in her tonsil.
The emergency room Dr. gave me the bone to take home in a little bottle so that I could prove to my children that it really happened.
That’s a funny story (now), but choking is no laughing matter! ย As I was thinking about all the choking episodes I’ve witnessed in my lifetime, I knew I had to issue a warning about choking hazards for kids & adults. ย Here goes!
1. ย Nuts, Popcorn & Grapes
When my children were small, I would always cut grapes in half. ย Anything that you tend to eat by the handfuls (nuts or popcorn) can become a choking hazard. ย Slow down, don’t gobble. ย Chew that food!
According to experts at Ohio State University, we should chew soft foods 5-10 times before swallowing and more dense foods (meats and veggies) up to 30 times before swallowing! ย I really need to slow down!
2. ย Foods with Small Diameters
Hot dogs, carrots and string cheese sticks are the perfect size to get stuck in a child’s throat. ย When I give a hot dog to a toddler I slice it in half length wise and then into small, bite sized portions.
3. ย Foods with Chewy Textures
Peanut Butter is the first food that comes to mind. ย It’s best eaten in a sandwich and not by the spoonfuls (note to self). ย Steak and meat, in general, is another food that adults get choked on, especially if it’s overcooked or a thick cut. ย Again, cut into small pieces and chew that food!
3. ย Small Toys and Balloons
In my opinion, small children and latex balloons don’t mix! ย Small and/or popped balloons can be ingested, ย get sucked into the airway and are nearly impossible to remove.
Plastic wrap and cellophane pose the same threat.
[Tweet “Balloons cause more choking deaths in children than any other nonfood product”]
It can be a challenge to keep small toys away from toddlers, especially when you have older children. ย Keep small toys like Legos, etc. in bins with secure lids.
You can find age appropriate toys here!
4. ย Dishwasher Tabs
I was saddened when I read about all the children that have died from ingesting dishwasher pods! ย It’s not so much a choking hazard as it is a toxic thing. ย It’s bright and pretty and tots can mistake it for candy.
Because I don’t have small children, I’ve always kept my pods in a container under the kitchen sink. ย After hearing about a toddler dying from trying to eat a dishwasher tab, I now keep them on the top shelf in an upper cabinet.
We can’t follow our kids around 24/7, nor should we be overprotective, but I do believe we should be educated so that we can do what we can to make our homes a safe environment.
I suggest that all parents learn how to properly administer the Heimlich.
Remember, if you’re alone and are choking, you can self-administer the Heimlich! ย Here’s how!
What are some choking hazards that I’ve missed? ย Have you ever choked on a bone or had to perform the Heimlich?
