Safety Tip #2 - What to do if... Your baby is choking

Hi Everyone,

This "What to do if " tip has come in handy so often I don't care to remember all the times I used it. Amelie had two full teeth at five months so has been munching away on real food for a long time now... it did make it quite painful to keep the breastfeeding up so long especially once her top teeth came in too. With all of the munching away on food she was doing there were a few times when we were a little scared as she got a large chunk stuck in her throat. Two memorable occasions stand out in my mind, one being when she got a large pieces of cucumber stuck in her throat, it was the first time this had happened to her and she panicked. Thankfully my husband did not he stayed calm and followed the steps I will write below, the food was dislodged, and Amelie was safe and sound. The second time I was feeding Amelie on my own and she was strapped into the high chair. This was particularly scary as I knew I had to unstrap her before I could help dislodge the food, again. I took a few deep breaths and was very proud of myself for doing what I needed to do, Amelie barely knew anything was happening she sat back in her high chair and ate the rest of her dinner... I had a cup of chamomile tea.

If your baby is just gagging a little but or if she has put something in her mouth that she shouldn't you can try just softly squishing her cheek's together a little to force the mouth open and you can then sweep the food out from her mouth. If you can't just sweep it out resist the urge to tap them on the back whist upright my grandmother warned me that this can lodge the food further down in the throat, instead follow the steps below and you should succeed in dislodging the food.

Step 1. Remain calm
Step 2. Pick up the baby and tilt her so her head is facing the ground and is below the bottom
Step 3. Gently tap her on the back (up to five times)

Each time I have used these steps I have succeed in dislodging food from Amelie's throat. I found this You-Tube video that demonstrates these steps and also tells you what do if those three steps do not work. 

You Tube - What to do if a baby is choking

I hope that this helps you have the confidence to feel like you know what to do if your baby starts choking. As always I like to add that I am only a mother not a doctor, first aid training is always a great way to be prepared in case of such emergencies.

Here is to healthy, happy and safe babies,

Angi x

Disclaimer: The information above is not intended as medical advice and is opinion for information only. Always seek advice from a qualified health care professional if you have any questions regarding a medical condition. Do not under any circumstance disregard professional advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of content found on this site.

Safety Tip #1 - What to do if... anything at all happens to my baby!

As a new mother, well Amelie is a year old but I am still a newby believe me,  I am always trying to learn bits and pieces off other Mums to help me along the way. I love chatting about everything and anything baby (as you can probably tell from this blog I am a bit obsessed!) Its not that I do not have other passions and interest but none are even close to the passion and interest I have in my daughter and giving her all i can in life, I want to be prepared for everything that this life throws at me and ensure she makes it though each day safe and sound, learning new things and growing in every way possible. My mother did this for me (she still does this for me) and now it is my turn with Amelie...

Ok enough of the gushy sentiment we all know the overwhelming and wonderfully warm feeling you get when you become a Mum, where is this going you ask? Well I go back to what I said about being prepared for anything and making certain Amelie makes it through each day safe and sound. I wanted to research a little more "What to do ifs" eg: What to do if Amelie starts chocking on a grape? or What to do if Amelie burns herself? Ok so hopefully none of this would ever happen to anyone but I have heard some horror stories about mothers who just froze and didn't know what to do or worse did something that made a situation worse than it had to be because of something simple like not knowing to run a burn under cold water. I have done a bit of research and thought I would share some of my "What to do ifs" with you and would love to hear any feed back or advice you have that might be useful to me or other mothers out there.

Over the next month I will post the following:

What to do if... Your baby is chocking

What to do if... Your baby is burnt or scalded

What to do if... Your baby stops breathing

What to do if... Your baby swallows poison

What to do if... Your baby has convulsions

To begin with I want to share my biggest tip... STAY CALM & BE PREPARED

Safety Tip #1 - What to do if... anything at all happens to my baby!

My biggest tip is to stay calm, without calm all the first aid training in the world is no good to you at all and we all know how in tune our babies are with our emotions they can sense our panic and it will only add to the problem. An injury, accident or household emergency can be extremely frightening not only for the child but for the parent too. Count to ten, tell yourself you are in control and act logically to solve the problem as quickly as you possibly can.

Be Prepared, go over different possible scenarios in your head, so you are confident if ever faced with an emergency. You could write down action plans for different emergencies, that is how this blog came about..., always have quick access to emergency numbers, have a well stocked first aid kit and you might even think about taking a first aid course.

I hope that you find my safety blogs helpful but please remember that none of the information I have supplied should be substituted for professional advice, I am just a Mum not a Doctor.

Here's to staying calm,

Angi x

Disclaimer: The information above is not intended as medical advice and is opinion for information only. Always seek advice from a qualified health care professional if you have any questions regarding a medical condition. Do not under any circumstance disregard professional advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of content found on this site.