Ask any new parent about what he or she fears and the answers might include sudden infant death syndrome, the baby suffering from some type of severe illness, or choking.
Let’s talk about that last one for a second, because you often can’t prepare yourself for SIDS or sickness, outside of taking the usual precautions, such as following your pediatrician’s recommendations for safe sleeping, and ensuring you’re providing a healthy environment for your baby.
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But when it comes to choking, knowledge is power. And babies, of any age, really, are notorious for wanting to “eat” random things around the house: anything from coins to small toys or even pieces of food off their parents’ plates that might not be cut up in appropriately sized bites.
This curiosity, as we’ll call it, can last well into toddler years, so parents should know how to help in case of an emergency.
St John Ambulance, which is based in the United Kingdom, put together a cute and easy-to-understand video about how to save a choking baby. This might be the best 40 seconds you’ll spend all day. The clip has been viewed more than 9 million times, so clearly, it’s catchy! Learn a lesson from these talking toys and watch below.
We should also note, although knowing how to help a choking baby is important, the best strategy is prevention, and keeping choke hazards away from curious children, said Dr. Frank McGeorge, an emergency room doctor and health reporter.
"If you are successful at helping a choking child, they should still be seen by a medical professional, because occasionally, they may have aspirated something into their lung beyond what you were able to retrieve," McGeorge added.
Good to know.
In addition to that viral video, the rest of the St John Ambulance YouTube page is quite helpful. In its description, St John Ambulance says the account is intended to help people learn first aid, meet some of the organization’s volunteers and watch lifesaving stories.
“As the (UK’s) leading first-aid charity, we want to teach everyone simple, lifesaving skills,” the top of the group’s website says.
The video was first posted in 2015, but it’s never too late to remind people about safety when it comes to babies, so we figured it was worth another share.
St John Ambulance breaks down the choking dilemma into three easy steps, which you'll see above: back blows, chest thrusts and follow-up measures, if needed.
Of course, getting certified for baby or child CPR is probably the best thing to do, whether you’re a parent or you’re just around kids, but still, you never know what kind of situation you might find yourself in. Perhaps this YouTube video will pop into your head at just the right moment -- although we hope you don’t find yourself in a scary situation like that any time soon!
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Online: Look up your nearest and soonest Red Cross class here.