Learn Heimlich and CPR
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As a parent, you are very likely to have a child who will end up choking on something that they eat. Knowing how to react will help you in that moment of fear.
As your child moves off of breastfeeding or bottles, they will start to eat more solid foods. While those foods are not immediately something that a child can choke on, they will eventually come to those items. Your child will not eat pureed foods forever. Even after a child has learned to eat, and has been doing it for many years, there is still a chance that they will get something caught in their throat. Even adults choke on food, and they have been eating for many years more than your child.
It can be a very scary experience when your child can’t breathe because they have something stuck in their throat. If you’ve never experienced this before, you don’t need to worry about recognizing it when it does happen. As long as you’re keeping a good watch on your child, it will be very clear that they can’t breathe. You’ll also likely have a good scare because of it. Both of our kids have had times when they couldn’t breathe because of food they’ve eaten, and it can be terrifying.
Rather than being frozen, as you’re unsure what to do, you need to learn in advance. You’re not going to have time to pull up a video, or call your parents to ask what you should do. You need to be able to act immediately as it can literally determine whether your child lives or not.
There are many ways to learn how to help a child who isn’t breathing - you can watch videos online, or read articles on how to administer the heimlich. These are all good options, and certainly better than not knowing anything, but if you want to go even further, then I’d recommend looking at getting your CPR certification.
This may sound difficult, but it’s actually very easy. The National CPR Foundation has all of the training videos and lessons available for free on their website. You can go through all of the training without paying anything, and you can review the material at any time. There’s really no excuse for not going through these lessons once you know about them. While you don’t have to pay for the certification, knowing all of the information is the critical part for parents.
The great thing about these lessons is that they will teach you more than just how to administer the heimlich to your baby. You will know across all age groups how to correctly help someone that can’t breathe. So even as your child grows older, you will have the tools to know how to help them if and when the time comes that they need it.
Additionally, you should be reviewing all of the material at least every couple of years, and if you’re not using any of the information, I’d recommend a review every year, just so that you know exactly what to do if the requirement arrives. While it can take a few hours to review the information, a life you may save is without question worth it.
Don’t spend anymore time determining if you should or not. Get over to the lessons and start learning. You never know when you’ll need it.
