A MUM has urged other parents to brush up on their first aid skills after her two-year-old daughter choked on a hair clip.
Little Amelia was watching TV when the small piece of plastic got lodged in her throat.
@tinyheartseducation/INSTAGRAMA mum has shared the terrifying story of when her two-year-old daughter choked[/caption]
Her mother told children‘s safety page Tiny Hearts Education: “My husband noticed she was trying to cry and grabbing her throat, but no noise was coming out.
“He immediately started back blows, but whatever was in her throat wasn’t dislodging.
“She was now changing colour and was very distressed.”
Thankfully after another two big back blows, the clip dislodged.
But Amelia’s parents could easily have lost their little girl had they not known what to do.
They want to encourage other mums and dads to learn the life-saving skills.
The mum said on Instagram: “My two-year-old daughter had choked on a hair clip – something we had used a thousand times.
“I’m so thankful for Tiny Hearts for keeping parents informed on first aid.”
The organisation, run by former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz and her sister Rach Waia who organise online and in-person courses, added: “Amelia is just one of the many lives that have been saved because her parents knew first aid.
“First aid is a skill you don’t realise you need until you really need it.”
The comments section was filled with parents also reminding people to take action.
Sam Cameron said: “This happened with our four-year-old old daughter with a small, solid Easter egg.
“She choked for nearly one and a half minutes and it was the scariest experience of my life.
“I remembered what I had read on your page and I continued hard back blows while we got an ambulance on the phone.
“Thankfully they weren’t needed as I got it up and we all just fell to the floor and sobbed for about 20 minutes.”
While Jessica Cairney, who runs the page Raising Our Little Ones, added: “So incredibly important to know what to do if choking occurs.
“It can happen with absolutely anything and with everyday things in our house that we might not think are a hazard.”
What to do if a child is choking
FIRST aiders at St John Ambulance give the following advice based on the child’s age.
Baby
Slap it out:
Lay the baby face down along your thigh and support their head
Give five back blows between their shoulder blades
Turn them over and check their mouth each time
2. Squeeze it out:
Turn the baby over, face upwards, supported along your thigh
Put two fingers in the centre of their chest just below the nipple line; push downwards to give up to five sharp chest thrusts
Check the mouth each time
3. If the item does not dislodge, call 999 or 112 for emergency help
Take the baby with you to call
Repeat the steps 1 and 2 until help arrives
Start CPR if the baby becomes unresponsive (unconscious)
Child
1. Cough it out
Encourage the casualty to keep coughing, if they can
2. Slap it out
Lean them forwards, supporting them with one hand
Give five sharp back blows between the shoulder blades
Check their mouth each time but do not put your fingers in their mouth
3. Squeeze it out
Stand behind them with your arms around their waist, with one clenched fist between their belly button and the bottom of their chest
Grasp the fist in the other hand and pull sharply inwards and upwards, giving up to five abdominal thrusts
Check their mouth each time
GettyAny small object, including hair clips, can be a choking hazard[/caption] Read More