Young children in the home are at risk of choking since they explore their environment by putting objects in their mouths. The objects may get swallowed or inhaled accidentally to cause choking.
To prevent this, here are a few tips to help:
1. Introduce solid foods when the baby has achieved motor skills to chew and swallow- the reason we encourage total breastfeeding only the first six months of life.
2. Supervise mealtimes and discourage talking, running around, or feeding while lying down.
3. Avoid foods with seeds, nuts, big chunks of meat, and ensure food is cut into small pieces for young children to chew and break down before swallowing.
4. Check your children’s toys and ensure they are safe for the age of the child. Toys with small parts that come apart are particularly hazardous for children below 3 yrs of age.
5. Keep household items such as buttons, pins, coins, pebbles, marbles, pen tops away from young children.6.Be aware of children playing with stones lest they pop them in their mouths and choke.
7. Balloons are also dangerous as pieces of the latex can be swallowed and cause choking.
8. Get caregivers to have the basic knowledge of what to do if choking occurs.9.Encourage parents/guardians/ caregivers to have emergency contacts of ambulances, taxis, or even medical personnel easily available in the home to access during emergencies. Let us safeguard our children’s environment.
Our emergency lines are 0790414518 (outpatient services) and 0755282924 (maternity services)
