What to do if a baby is choking: first aid for choking infants

If infants are choking, they may not be able to make any noise to let you know. Learning this basic first aid could help save a child’s life.

If the infant is unconscious, do CPR. If they are conscious, follow these steps.

Before helping the choking child

• Have someone call for emergency
• If you can see an object in the mouth, try to remove it. Be very careful not to push the object further in!
• If the child is coughing, encourage the child to continue to bring up what they’re choking on.
• If the child’s coughing is not effective (it’s silent or they can’t breathe), shout for help immediately and check whether the baby is still conscious.
• If the baby is conscious, but the coughing isn’t effective, use back blows.

Back blows for choking infant:

1. Sit down and lay the baby’s face down along your thighs, supporting the head with your hand.
2. Give up to 5 sharp back blows with the heel of 1 hand in the middle of the back between the shoulder blades.
3. After 5 back blows, if the baby is still coughing and conscious, give chest thrusts.

 Chest thrusts for choking infant:

1. Lay the baby face-up along the length of your thighs.
2. Place two or three fingers in the center of the infant’s chest just below the nipple line.
3. Give 5 sharp chest thrusts (pushes), compressing the chest by about 4 cm 
4. After 5 chest thrusts, if the baby is still coughing and conscious, give back blows.

Continue care: Continue sets of 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until the object is forced out, the baby can cough and breathe or until the baby becomes unconscious.

Unconscious choking infant

• If unconscious, lay the child on a firm, flat surface 
• Open the child’s mouth. If the object’s clearly visible and you can grasp it easily, remove it.
• Start CPR
• Continue CPR until the baby begins to recover or emergency help arrives