image via – youtube.com
All children are delicate, but newborn babies are especially so because they are at their most fragile stage in life. Infants must be handled with care and monitored closely by parents and caretakers in order to keep them as safe as can be, you just never know when a potential hazard might pop up.
Out of all the risks to newborns and infants, choking is one of the biggest ones. According to the New York State Department of Health, children under 5 are at the greatest risk of choking and it’s the fourth leading cause of unintentional death among them. In the majority of cases, food is the most common cause but toys and other small objects can pose a choking hazard as well. Kids love picking up random things they find around the house and oftentimes they end up sticking those items in their mouths. Even if you baby-proof play areas and supervise infants, there is always a chance they could choke on something they find or eat.
To put the issue in perspective a young child’s windpipe is comparable to the diameter of a drinking straw in terms of size, and their throats aren’t much wider. Things can easily get stuck or lodged in their throats. If that should ever happen would you know what to do?
Most people have absolutely no clue about what they should do if a baby is choking. That’s alarming in light of one survey conducted by first aid charity St John Ambulance, which found that over 40% of parents had witnessed their own baby choke. They also found that over four-fifths of the parents they questioned didn’t know what to do or how to respond to a choking baby.
Those numbers are what spurred the charity to make the accompanying public service advert in the form of an animated video. It’s a wonderful way to instruct and visually demonstrate exactly what you need to do if a baby chokes or stops breathing. The animated characters take you through the hazards and the steps so you can be prepared if/when this ever happens to you. Here is exactly what the video instructs you to do:
“If your baby is choking, lay them face down on your thigh. Then one gives up to five back blows. If that doesn’t work, turn them over and give them up to 5 chest thrusts….until the airway is clear. And if that still doesn’t work, call an ambulance.” It’s basic and it takes less than a minute to watch the video which will imprint on your mind, stay with you for longer, and make it easy to remember. People everywhere need to see this so they know how to respond to a choking infant, regardless of whether or not they have a young baby at home. Please share this information and educational video with friends and family and help put the health and safety of children everywhere first.
Please SHARE This With Family and Friends, It Could Save a Life
