Choking is one of the main reasons that lead children to the emergency room. During school holidays, parents should pay special attention to the habits of their children, who spend more time at home and end up having a different diet than usual. The list of things that usually cause choking in children is long and includes popcorn, for example.
The main foods that cause choking in young children are those in rounded formats, such as grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, olives and candies; very dry, like corn, chestnuts and peanuts; or cut into larger pieces than they are used to eating.
When not chewed properly, they can block the airway and make it difficult for air to enter the lungs.
“Depending on the consistency and size of the food, according to the child’s age, choking is more common”, says pediatrician Carolina Arantes, from Hospital Brasília Unidade Águas Claras (Dasa).
How to avoid choking?
Parents should be aware of how meals are served. When possible, food should be cut into toothpicks, the thickness of a little finger. The round ones must be cut into four pieces, to facilitate the descent in case it is swallowed without chewing.
Hot dog sausage, for example, can be cut into slices and then in half. Cutting only slices can obstruct the airway, acting as a stopper in the throat and, consequently, preventing the passage of air.
First aid
Parents and those responsible for the child should act quickly when noticing the signs of choking, such as shortness of breath, absence of speech or crying and purple lips. Ideally, one person should do the Heimlich maneuver while the other calls for expert help. Neonatologist Inajara Biroli, from Maternidade Brasília (Dasa) teaches the Heimlich maneuver step by step:
Infants should be placed on their stomach, lying on the adult’s forearm with their head facing down and their back straight. Holding firmly, you should give five slaps in the middle of the back and between the shoulders. Not very strong, but enough impact for the object to come out.
The procedure is different for children over 2 years of age. The adult must kneel behind her and hug her with a closed hand at stomach level and another open hand resting on top of the closed one.
They should be pressed with moderate force over the belly inwards and upwards at the same time. Coughing, crying, or vomiting food are signs that she has choked. If it continues to choke, the procedure must be repeated.
Other causes
Breast milk, liquids ingested from a bottle, water and carbonated drinks also cause gagging quite often. To avoid the incident, those responsible should be aware of the position in which the child ingests the liquid.
Biroli warns that up to the age of two, the child is in the oral phase and has a natural tendency to put all objects in the mouth. “Not just food, but small objects can also lead to choking,” she says.
Cases involving objects found at home within easy reach of hands are recurrent, such as batteries, coins, small toys, pebbles, modeling clay and buttons.
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