Choking and Suffocation for Children

child playing with toys, child eating cut fruit, child sleeping in crib

The single most effective way to keep children from choking or suffocating is adult supervision!

J.T. died after choking on a hot dog while on vacation. In response to this preventable death, New York State enacted legislation to help parents, caregivers and providers recognize common choking hazards for children and prevention tips. The choking prevention legislation is known as J.T.'s Law.

Quick Tips to Prevent Choking and Suffocation

Choking

  • Keep small objects out of reach from children.
  • Cut food into small pieces and avoid giving your child foods that are hard to chew.
  • Know how to perform CPR and/or the Heimlich Maneuver (abdominal thrusts) to help in an emergency. CPR and First Aid classes can be found in your area by visiting the American Red Cross.

Suffocation

  • Keep strings and plastic bags out of reach from children.
  • Keep your child’s crib completely empty while sleeping, removing soft bedding, pillows, toys and stuffed animals from the crib.
  • Make sure equipment for your child (crib, playpen, stroller, highchair) is not broken and does not have narrow openings where they can get stuck, or parts where their clothing can get caught and strangle them.

Choking Risks

Toys and Household Items

  • Keep children away from hazards such as latex balloons, marbles, coins, marker caps, batteries, small jewelry, holiday decorations, broken toys, and toys that are small and have pieces that can come off that can be swallowed.
  • Make sure pacifiers are not broken and do not come apart while your child is using them.

Food

  • Make sure children sit down while eating. Children should not eat while walking, riding in a car, or playing.
  • Cut food into small pieces. Avoid foods such as grapes, popcorn, nuts, raw vegetables, hot dogs cut in coin shapes, hard foods, hard candy, cough drops, gum, and globs of peanut butter especially with white bread. Cut hot dogs lengthwise.
  • Cook or steam vegetables to soften their texture, dice foods, and remove seeds and pits. Offer plenty of liquids to children when eating, but make sure they do not swallow solids and liquids at the same time.
  • Model safe eating habits and chew food thoroughly.

Clothing

  • Look for small buttons, snaps or other pieces of clothing that could be loose and swallowed.

Suffocation Risks

Toys

  • Avoid pacifiers connected to other toys, such as strings or blankets. These can get wrapped around your child’s neck or cover their face and prevent them from breathing.
  • Do not let young children play with ribbons or string.

While Sleeping

  • Place infants on their back in a crib and make sure the sheet and mattress fit tightly so children do not get caught in the blankets. Make sure the crib is empty.
  • Do not let your child sleep on a top bunk bed if they are under the age of six. They can strangle themselves if they fall.
  • Do not let infants sleep with parents or older siblings. Infants can be rolled over on or caught between the mattress and wall.

At Home

  • Make sure that baby strollers, carriages, playpens, and highchairs do not have narrow openings that could pose a risk of children getting caught or stuck.
  • Use cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit. If this is not possible, make sure drapery and blind cords are tied up high with no loops and move cribs away from windows. Free cord-retrofit kits are available from the Window Covering Safety Council.
  • Remove all Roman window shades and roll-up blinds from your home. On December 15th, 2009, all Roman shades were recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
  • Beware of items like necklaces, plastic bags, and electrical cords that can get caught around a child’s neck.

Clothing

  • Remove drawstrings from clothing of children under 7 years old.
  • Avoid dressing infants and young children in scarves, which can get caught on play equipment.

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