Infant Choking

In my last support group meeting we discussed infant choking. A RN gave us some great handouts and went over what to do if your child is ever choking. I thought it would be a great idea to share what I learned. Please note that this is just a basic overview. The nurse recommended that everyone take the child safety course at our local hospital. Never give your infant raisins, popcorn, nuts of any kind, or candy. Cut all foods smaller than your pinky finger nail especially hot dogs, grapes, meats, and carrots. Anything that can fit through a toilet paper tub is a choking hazard. Some common choking hazards are pen caps, balloons (inflated or not), coins, safety pins, gum, nails, and rings.

Choking Infant Rescue - For Infants under 1 year
If your baby is unable to cough or cry, is making a high-pitched gasping noise, or their face/lips are turning blue or bright red they might be choking. If your baby is coughing or gagging let him cough. Do not pat the baby on the back, this could lodge the object further down the airway.

If your baby is choking
1. If someone is with you have them call 911. If you are alone begin rescue attempts, don't call 911 first.
2. Place infant face down on your thigh. Be sure his head is lower than the rest of his body. Give 5 back blows. These are given between the infant's shoulder blades by using the heel of your hand. Be sure to support his head so it is not being shaken.
3. Carefully supporting the infant, turn him over so he is facing up. Be sure his head is still lower than the rest of the body. Give 5 chest thrusts. These are given at the nipple line using two or three fingers, pressing straight down about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. Be sure to allow the chest to return to normal between thrusts.
4.Repeat steps 2 and 3, alternating between 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts. Continue until the object comes out or the baby becomes unconscious.
5. If your baby becomes unconscious call 911.

Car Seat Safety

I recently bought a new car and I wasn't sure how to properly install the car seat. I had always thought it had been installed improperly in my previous car but I wasn't sure. I decided to make an appointment at my local fire station to have it checked out. I learned some great things that I wanted to share. First you should always read your car's instruction manual and see if there is a section on car seat installation. If you don't have your car manual I am sure you can google it. It was so easy to install the car seat after we read the manual. Second if your car has leather seats and you don't want to damage the leather you shouldn't use a towel. I found out that it actually affects how much the car seat will slide and is a hazard. Instead use the shelf liner sheet that has the grips on it. You can purcahse a roll at any 99 cent store.

 

Non Slip Shelf Liner

Thirdly the plastic harness that is suppose to go across the baby's body should be at arm pit level. I always put this part of the car seat across the top of her abdomen which is wrong. It can hurt her in case of an accident. Lastly is the car seat mirror. I bought one of these mirrors so I can see my daughter when I am driving. I never knew what a hazard they were. These mirrors are not tested for safety in car accidents. Most of the mirrors have hard backs and can fly off in an accident. Worst of all you usually point the mirror at your child's head, can you imagine that mirror flying towards your child's face at 60 mph? So you must never use a car seat mirror and if you know someone who has a mirror please let them know what a safety hazard it is!