Or is that just an old wives tale?
I mean think about it, if you started to choke on some water would you really want someone to smack you on the back? Wouldn't that just make it worse?
2006-11-06 09:35:37 · 10 answers · asked by Lesley C 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
You don't hit them on the back if they're choking on water, only if they're choking on something solid. The hitting just loosens it and enables it to go down their throat.
2006-11-06 09:37:32 · answer #1 · answered by CelebrateMeHome 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All I can say is... It worked.
I went out to eat Tex-Mex with my mother and a friend of hers... We brought my daughter along. She was maybe 14 months old?? I'm not certain..
When she was being strapped into the chair, the waiter put the bowl of chips on the table in front of her.. before I could get it out of reach, she'd grabbed one and started eating it. I watched her, and it seemed like she was doing fine... I decided she could have the ONE chip.... well, when she got through with that one, my mother kept sneaking her more. she was a happy little girl.
a little while later, right after the food arrived, I heard a sound and looked at her.. her face was red, geting redder... she was not breathing or coughing.
I unstrapped her from the chair, tried to swipe anything out of her mouth.. nothing there.
Wishing I rememberred the CPR course I'd taken 30 years before, I leaned her face downwards, and started with careful heavy blows on the back.
It didn't work until the third try... I was really getting worried. She was purple by this point.
Finally, she coughed, took in a deep breath... and let out the worst imaginable wail... The most wonderful sound I'd ever heard.
One thing that really irritates me? during this, I glanced a couple times for the waitors/manager that are always bugging you when you don't need them.. and saw them standing across the room, just leaning against the wall, watching. It would have been much better for the manager to come see if we needed a paramedic called. I decided, well, I wasn't frantic (I'm a calm panic-er) so they didn't realize she was choking. That's why they just watched.
About 15 minutes later, at the end of the meal,. our waitress comes up to chat, looks at Cathy, and says 'so..I saw her choking earlier.. is she OK now?'
I didn't say a word... all I could think was 'well, if she WASN'T she'd be DEAD by this point, no thanks to you that she ISN'T!!!'
(pardon the rant... but I can't tell that story without it.)
2006-11-07 05:07:31 · answer #2 · answered by Momma CAT 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you smack them on the back but you also have to have them inverted. What I mean by that, is when a child start to choke on something, lets say a hot dog, you need to put one arm between their legs and your hand on their chest, then point their head towards the ground then smack their back, not too hard but hard enough to get the food out. It is a form of the Hymlick (sp?).
My wife did this with out daughter and our cousin, yes it works, no they do not get hurt, and it is the only thing you can do when they are that young.
2006-11-06 09:41:12 · answer #3 · answered by coachalbin 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If your baby starts to choke lift their arm up over their head. It straightens out their airway and allows passage. If that does not work, than go to the next step as recommended by the other person with all the great websites!
2006-11-06 09:50:07 · answer #4 · answered by Fluffy Rover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No you are not supposed to hit your child on the back when they are choking and instruct everyone else that this is not okay. For children you are supposed to hold their arms in the air to help clear out their passageway and as long as they are coughing they are breathing so that's good. If for some reason you child gets something caught in their throat and is not breathing then you need to apply the heimlich manuever. Never stick your finger down their throat when something is lodged in there. When in doubt learn CPR.
2006-11-06 11:49:21 · answer #5 · answered by wise beyond years 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
my son started not breathing/choking on saliva at like 4 months old. I held him almost upside down and smacked his back. It worked. That was one of the most scariest moments of my life.
2006-11-06 09:37:35 · answer #6 · answered by njyecats 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as the person is coughing, he/she does not need a smack on the back. The coughing is expelling the water/food/etc from the airways and you shouldn't intervene. If a person stops coughing and can't breathe, he/she needs help and you should do whatever you can to clear the airways.
2006-11-06 09:43:57 · answer #7 · answered by CPAKeith 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are but only a infant. But that's when they are seriously choking, not just on water.
2006-11-06 09:38:52 · answer #8 · answered by panda 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, do not do this. If they are choking on a bit of food, this can lodge it in the throat.
2006-11-06 09:43:44 · answer #9 · answered by KeltWitch 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
MAYBE THESE WED SITES MAY HELP YOU!GOOD LUCK !
http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/er/choking.html
2006-11-06 09:38:36 · answer #10 · answered by lisababyg ♥ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋