1. Check visually the child’s mouth for any foreign body. Do not blindly sweep (with fingers) over the cavity as it might cause further harm. If the foreign body could be seen, then it would most likely be reached and easily taken out by the parent.
2. In choking, as long as the child can “cough”, it is most often a good sign. Coughing mechanism should help dislodge most objects.
3. Among infants, we do the BACK SLAPS and CHEST THRUSTS.
Back slaps/blows
Lay the infant facing down, over your arm or lap, with head lower than body’s level. Using the palm of your hands, hit firmly on the back, in between shoulder blades. Do this 5 times.
Chest thrusts
Lay the infant on its back. Place 2 fingers in the middle of the breast bone, just below the nipples. Push sharply downwards (about 1/3 of the depth of chest size) and repeat 5 times.
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