A choking baby is any mother or fathers worst nightmare. However, if you read this simple guide, it can prepare you for this type of emergency situation.

It is important to understand when a baby is choking they will be unable to cough, cry, sneeze or make any normal breathing noises. That’s why you should be extra vigilant, if you can’t hear your baby make any noises.

If you think there maybe an obstruction in your baby’s windpipe you should follow these 4 simple steps.

1. Place the baby over your thigh with the head below the line of their backside. Then give five firm hits between the shoulder blades. If the blocked object does not dislodge, you should move onto the next step.

2. Flip the baby onto their back so they are facing the sky and place two of your fingers on the middle of the baby’s chest. Then push firmly inwards and upwards 5 times. These chest thrusts squeeze the air out of the babies lungs and should dislodge any blockage.

3. If the chest thrusts do not dislodge the item, go back to step one and repeat.

4. If the item does not dislodge from the baby’s airway after 3 cycles of step 1 and 2, call 911 / 999 immediately.

Babies are always putting small objects in their mouths, so it is important to look out for signs that they may have choked on something. One tell tale sign of a blockage in the windpipe, is the babies face will become discolored and may turn a blue/purple colour.

Babies will generally be making some sort of constant noise, such as breathing, coughing, grunting etc. If all of a sudden you hear your baby making no noise at all, you should check there is nothing restricting their windpipe.

Learn more key first aid skills for children and babies by signing up to our free online pediatric first aid course.