One of the biggest risks of domestic accident in infants and children is the choking hazard why they are so curious that they put everything in their mouths. Precisely, it is in the mouth where they have more developed terminations that give them information about objects (more than their hands), and consequently, to know them, they are taken there where they can suck them, bite them and discover their hardness, temperature, texture, etc.
The problem with this action of taking anything and bringing it to your mouth is that sometimes you can try to swallow something that you cannot swallow, or you may even end up aspirating something small, putting your life at risk, because of the possibility of suffocation. . We leave you with nine tips to prevent suffocation by small objects.
1. It must not fit inside the toilet paper roll
It is the most general rule and summarizes all subsequent ones. Babies should not have their hands nothing that fits inside the cardboard roll of toilet paper. If possible, it is dangerous and likely to cause problems if the baby tries to swallow it or breathe it by accident.
In Babies and more The 17 foods that cause more choking in children and how to offer them to avoid it2. Do not leave coins, screws, earrings ... at your fingertips
Babies should not have at their fingertips anything that catches their attention because of their brightness, shape or size. It is common for you to put a toy or safe object on them, and next to them they find an object that is not at all childish and dangerous, and they throw themselves at it. They call it Murphy's law, so we have to count on it.
3. Avoid medals, bracelets and earrings that can be detached
If they carry any accessory that can be removed by accident, the baby will be at risk of suffocation in case it is released and we do not realize. An earring that falls by his side, a curious baby who takes it with his hands and decides to try it, will cause a huge scare if everything ends badly.
4. Follow the instructions of the toys
Do you know those toys whose indications say "not for children under 36 months"? Well, you have to pay attention to what they say, because if they say it is because there are small pieces or elements that could break loose or be dangerous.
5. Eye with button batteries
Likewise, if the toys carry button batteries, which are very dangerous, we must be very clear that there is no risk of leaving the toy because the battery cover is in poor condition or similar.
In Babies and moreAmerican doctors warn: teething necklaces and bracelets are dangerous 6. Avoid foods that do not know how to chew well
As we mentioned a few months ago, there are especially dangerous foods that many babies and children consume because they take them, or because parents do not know that they can become very dangerous: nuts (peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, ...), sausages, apples, raw carrot, candies, cheese, etc ...
It is often said that everything that is small and hard, but as you can see there are foods that are dangerous because of their consistency: the sausages are soft, but depending on how they are cut they have a gummy consistency and do not fall apart; and the cheeses, if you eat a lot at once, are made as a paste that becomes dangerous.
It is better that the food is in pieces that they can manage themselves, always soft, and in no hurry to eat.
7. Don't scare him if he already has something in his mouth
If we see that he has something in his mouth, we should approach him with temptation, because if we scare him with a scream or a very sudden action, they can perform object aspiration before we arrive.
8. Eating and running are not compatible
There are children who do not stop still, I know ... but lunchtime has to be for that, to eat, and not to eat and jump; eat and laugh; eat and play; eat and run.
There are many children who choke or suffocate precisely because of that, for running or moving too much with something in their mouths.
In Babies and more A mother warns of the danger of toys with magnets, having to operate her emergency child 9. Do not give syrup if you are crying
Ideally, even when they have a fever and are very upset, crying, is that first calm them down somehow. In arms, rocking them a little, at least to reach a point where they are not in full tears, with their mouths open and about to catch air.
If we give them syrup at that point they could breathe it instead of swallowing it, and this would be dangerous depending on the syrup, the amount, and the point of the respiratory system it reached.
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In Babies and more | What to do when a baby chokes (video), Why nuts are dangerous for children ?, A two-year-old child almost dies choked by an olive, what to do in these cases?
