How do i get over the fear of my 1year old choking on his food?

Question

All the books say to start feeding solid foods when they have enough teeth to chew, but he only has 2 teeth so far and i have him on stage 2 foods still and he just turned 1. I feel stupid and my sister feeds him stage 3's when im not around, but i just cant force myself to do it! i think i wont be able to save him if he does start choking. Or am i doing it right since he only has 2 teeth???

Answer 1

Ok... honestly... as a mother also.. you never trully get over the initial fear... it's just replaced by "Will he drown while learning to swim?" or "Which leg will he break if he toddles down the stairs?" The only advice I can say is to take CPR (both infant and adult) and the "himleich manuveur" (however you spell that :P). You may also be afraid that you wouldn't know how to react if you saw you're own child choking, even with classes and training, but it's maternal instinct... you'll do WHATEVER you have to do to save your child!!!!!!!!!!!

And honestly people... no need to be so rude! You buncha re-tards!! For the one's that are so gay and said shove tube steak down his throat... you need to be investigated for child molestation and I hope to goodness that you don't have any children of your own. Other people.... TAKE THE BOTTLE OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AND GROW UP!!!! Sorry, but I felt the need!!

Answer 2

I had the same fear. I recommend learning how to administer CPR, if you don't know already. I learned CPR when my son was a baby. I had to use it on my daughter a couple years later when she shoved too much of her food on her mouth and started to choke. Since I already knew how to do it, the movements came naturally to me. I always thought I would panic but I guess the adreneline kept me sane for a few minutes so I could help my daughter...after she was breathing again and started to cry, I had plenty of time to freak out over what had just happened. :-)

Your sister, though, has no right to feed him food that you do not approve of. If you don't like it, tell her to knock it off....she can feed her own kids whatever she wants, but not your's. Don't start Stage 3 until you are ready. If your sister gives you a hard time, tell her your pediatrician said Stage 2 is enough for now. That usually shuts people up.

Answer 3

A parent's number one responsibility is to keep our children safe, so you are okay with being concerned, however, knowledge is power, so I hope this helps you.

Last month my duaghter's 1-year-old son, Nicholas, nearly choked to death while drinking juice.

"He collapsed on the floor. I picked him up and looked at his face he was completely limp. He was just out," said Biehl.

Biehl's maternal instincts took over.

"I turned him over and smacked his back and juice came out. He was slow to come around but he started breathing again," said Biehl.

If you find yourself in a similar situation you need to follow these steps.

First, stay calm.

Next, establish if your child is choking.

Dr. Robert Hickey, of Children's Hospital, said, "Usually it's pretty obvious. They look distressed. They might be coughing, drooling, gagging."

If your child can talk, don't do anything. He'll probably be able to clear his airway by himself.

Do not try to remove the object.

"You're more likely to push something further in and make a complete obstruction from something that's a partial obstruction," said Hickey.

If your child can't talk and is not breathing you need to take action quickly.

Within two to three minutes without air brain damage can occur.

Hickey said, "You can either do an abdominal thrust, the most common abdominal thrust is the Heimlich maneuver ... you can do back blows or chest thrusts."

If the child is still unresponsive begin CPR.

If someone is with you have them call 9-1-1. If you're alone begin CPR first then call 9-1-1.

"With CPR you're going to generate forceful enough chest compression that you'll generate pressure to pop the foreign body out," said Hickey.

The best thing to do is to try to avoid a choking incident altogether.

Parents must be vigilant, especially with children under 3 years old.

They are at highest risk for choking.

To reduce choking risks, keep foods such as hot dogs, nuts, whole grapes and chunks of peanut butter away from kids under 3 years old.

Hard candy should be totally off limits.

Other common items kids choke on are small toys, coins and pen caps.

But the biggest danger of all is un-inflated latex balloons.

Doctors say knowledge beats guessing every time.

To see your child choking is frightening, but remember they are depending on you to know what to do.

Answer 4

It is just something moms go through. Takes time. Babies have great gag reflexes and as long as it is something that can go down his throat you needn't worry. Yes a one year old need mushy or more solid food so you don't have a hard time later. All #3 foods are made for babies to be able to swallow but give them the experience of a different texture. Not giving them different textures will get you a very picky eater later. I have had two kids and never have I seen anything in the #3 foods that would have your child choke. No he cannot have steak but it is good to give him new things.

Answer 5

i believe you are doing the right thing. So many parents these days feed foods to early. I know a girl that feeds her baby reg. food when he was just a couple months old she was feeding him bits of hamburger. I think that is so stupid. I had three children and I feed them according to how many teeth they had ,if they could chew, and how old they were. I think you are doing a great job and don't worry what other people think. Just make sure you feed the adequate amounts for his age so he will get proper nutrition ask a pediatrician if you need help or have questions. good luck and remember you are the mother you need to make the decisions not others he is your child.

Answer 6

Stage 3 is still really soft and can easily be mooshed with his gums. You are just paranoid. He has to eat real food sooner or later and you have to realize that you are his mother and you have to teach him how to eat right and keep him healthy. Not everything we let our children do is 100% safe, but we have to let them grow up. I am not saying that he will never get choked. Some kids do. Some adults do, but he will need to learn to eat solid foods. Be sure you learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver and that way you at least feel like you know what to do if he does get choked. It could never happen, you never know. You can't worry about things you can't control. He will be fine.

Answer 7

Well, cut up his food small enough so if he does swallow without chewing it'll go down easily. As far as not knowing how to save him if needed get a class at a college. Their normally pretty cheap and you'll learn lots. Don't worry all parents worry about their kids choking or doing something hurtfult o themselves. Good luck and try to now worry too much.

Answer 8

Don't feel bad and don't worry! Even without many teeth at a year or so kids are pretty good at gumming their food as long as the pieces are not too big or hard. Just give him little bites and make sure he swallows before more comes in, and you'll get more comfortable and worry less. My kid used to semi-choke quite a bit, so I would just encourage to cough it all out, and she has made it to 3 without any serious problems in that area.

Answer 9

You sound like a good momma. Don't worry so much hon I know it's hard not to but he will be okay. If he does choke just give him a second to recoop or a few pats on the back. Just dont let him have big bites. He'll do fine. Don't worry so much you forget to enjoy the cute faces he'll make while he's eating new foods. Best of luck to you. God bless. : )

Answer 10

My youngest forgot to shew on a tiny piece of hot dog.. he began choking and good lord, I felt myself begin to lose it.. I know I prayed for God to help.. I put my finger into his throat and felt the piece of hot dog, hooked it with my fingernail and thank god, it came out.
This was way before anyone knew to press on the chest, forcing the food up!
Hun, feed your child the way you see fit. I would suggest giving him what he needs..and smashing it.. Tell your sister to accept your ways, as this is YOUR child.. period. If something happens to your little one, your mom mode will kick in, and do the right thing. If you still are a bit fearful, take some child rescue courses that may be provided by your local hospital.. or find out where they have them, and go.