Safe tips to prevent babies from choking & bull; hello healthy

Some data reveal that choking is one of the leading causes of death. This is because choking can obstruct the respiratory tract, even though the presence of oxygen has an important role in the human body.

Babies are an age that is prone to choking. This is because:

• The baby is still unable to control the food in his mouth.
• Babies don't have molar teeth that can help them break down food. This will increase the risk if the baby is less able to chew and swallow.
• The size of the baby's airway is still limited.
• Babies have a high curiosity, one way he does to answer this curiosity is through his mouth. Some of the things that babies often put in their mouths include food, toys, and other small items that have the potential to cause the baby to choke. Then, how to prevent the baby from choking?

Tips to prevent babies from choking on food

• Introduce your baby to solid foods, at least when he is 4 months old. Do not give him solid food until he has the motor skills to swallow it.
• Don't offer high-risk foods like cheese, grapes, and vegetables that are still large in size, unless they have been cut into small pieces. Also be careful with foods such as seeds, nuts, candy, gum, marshmallows, and other risky foods.
• As the baby gets older, accompany him during meal times. Don't allow him to eat while walking, running, playing. Remind him to swallow his food first before speaking. Don't allow him to play with throwing-food-in-the-air-then-catch-with-mouth and other activities that have the potential to choke him.
• Always remove the bones or thorns in food first, before you feed it to your baby.
• Make sure your baby is alert and not sleepy while eating.
• It's best not to give your baby food when he's crying or laughing.
• Teach your baby how to chew and swallow the right foods, by taking small pieces, chewing them, and eating slowly.
• If your baby has older siblings, you should also teach them not to provide food and toys that have the potential to choke on their siblings.

Prevent babies from choking on toys and small items

• Examine your baby's toys closely. Toys made from latex balloons will be dangerous if they are damaged by their contents. We recommend that you first pay attention to the instructions in the toy packaging before buying it and regularly check the condition of your baby's toys.
• Keep out of reach of your baby, items that are common in the home, but have the potential to cause your baby to choke such as coins and dice.
• Teach your baby not to put toys in his mouth.

How to treat a choking baby?

• First, first determine whether the baby can still make a sound or not.
• If it turns out that the baby can still make a sound, teach him to remove the cause of the choking.
• However, if he is no longer able to speak, take him immediately to the nearest health worker.
• It's best to find out first what is causing him to choke before you decide to help him by giving him a drink.
• If you or people around you are trained, you should provide first aid with the 6 most basic types of first aid that you must master (heimlich) especially for babies.

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