Choking- A Must Read for Every Parent
Tiny Hearts Education
Tiny Hearts Education was born from a community need.
While working as a paramedic, Nikki noticed that parents, just like you, were faced with a devastating problem. They lacked essential paediatric first aid knowledge which led to terrible outcomes; distressed parents, a really sick bub - or even more devastatingly, the loss of a life.
Something had to change, so Nikki teamed up with her sister Rach, and they made it their life's work to equip parents with the skill to save the life of the little person that means the most to them.
We started out small in our Mum's garage with just the two of us, and over five years later have proudly grown to empower and educate over 60,000 Australian parents.
At Tiny Hearts, our mission is to bring education to all Australian parents that will transform their parenting experience and giving them the knowledge to move through pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood with confidence.
Young children and babies are naturally curious creatures. From as early as two months of age, their curiosity grows, and they start to explore their surroundings a bit differently than you and I.
With all the new sights and smells your little one is experiencing; they are bound to start putting things into their mouths. This helps them taste, feel and sense things in their environment.
Whether it’s a stray toy strewn about or something that’s not exactly meant for the mouth, your baby’s curiosity will naturally have them chewing on things. When your curious bub starts chewing, you need to be on alert; babies and small children have smaller airways that can become easily blocked. Because of their age, many motor and developmental skills aren’t developed properly and they’re going to need help if choking occurs.
Signs and Symptoms
Choking occurs when the airway is blocked by a foreign object. This can be hard food, a small toy, or any small object, like magnets or pen caps. Knowing the signs and symptoms of when an infant is choking is vital; look for behaviours like:
● Panic or distressed behaviour
● Coughing
● Wheezing, raspy, uneven breath
● Difficulty breathing
● Watery eyes
● Inability to cry or make sounds
Causes and Triggers
Some of the common causes and triggers of choking are:
- Raw fruits and vegetables
- Sausages and chunks of meat
- Nuts, seeds, pumpkin kernels, fruit pips, corn chips
- Hard lollies, chewing gum, marshmallows
- Small objects (toys, button batteries, coins, marbles, pen tops, balloons etc).
To find out more about choking and other life-saving things, book into a Tiny Hearts baby and child first aid course at www.tinyheartseducation.com. Use the code CREATIVE10 to get $10 off a public course pass.
