Eliminating Choking Hazards for Toddlers

Toddlers are always putting things in their mouths - anything that looks interesting to them, whether it's a toy or a piece of food. They are exploring their surroundings, and they don't know any better. Young children have smaller airways than adults do, that's why certain items cannot pass through their airways safely without choking. Anything that can fit into their mouths, can be choked on. From coins and batteries, to grapes and hot dogs, there are many things you need to keep away from your toddler's reach in order to prevent choking.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the following foods should not be given to any child under 3 years of age: hot Dogs, nuts, marshmallows, whole grapes, chewing gum, chunks of meat or cheese, popcorn, raw hard vegetables, seeds, chunks of peanut butter, honey. In order to prevent a toddler from choking on food, cut larger food pieces up into small pieces for toddlers, small enough that they can easily chew it up. You need to make sure your child is sitting down while they are eating. It's important that they aren't up walking or running around, because they could easily trip, fall and choke on the food in their mouths. Also, don't let older kids share their food with younger kids, because they could possibly share hazardous food with them, and you wouldn't know about it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends keeping the following non-food items away from children under 3: coins, batteries, latex balloons, toys with small parts, small toys that can fit into a child's mouth, marbles and other small balls, pen/marker caps, syringes. Most toys that present a choking hazard for young children will have a warning stating such, but use your own judgment as to whether a toy is appropriate for your toddler.

It's very scary when a child is choking, but do you know what to do if ever you're faced with that situation? A lot of daycare workers, like me, are already trained in CPR and Pediatric First Aid. These are extremely important classes to take, whether you work with kids or not. Knowing how to perform CPR in a life or death situation can save a life. Performing CPR on an adult is different than doing it on a child. You should learn how to do it both ways. CPR and First Aid classes will teach you what to do and how to handle emergency situations, like choking.

Overall, the main thing you should remember is to keep any object that can fit inside the child's mouth out of their reach. Whether it is food or non-food, a child can choke on anything. If you are unsure, ask somebody or use the clear cylinder tool that will tell you if the object is a choking hazard.

For more information, visit www.aap.org or www.kidshealth.org