First-Aid Procedures > Choking

Minor choking usually occurs because liquid has gotten into the air passage.

If your child is breathing, encourage him to cough; it helps clear the windpipe. Do not offer your child something to drink as fluids may further block the passage of air. If your child is choking on an object and can't breathe, call 995 immediately. Then begin first aid.

Remember: Take the following steps only if your child is unable to make a sound. If your child is coughing, crying, or speaking, do not do the following.

FIRST AID FOR CHOKING:
Heimlich manoeuver:

1. Grasp your child from behind - just below the lower ribs and above the waist - and give a sharp upward jerk at a 45-degree angle.
2. The purpose is to force all the air out of the chest so it dislodges the object from his windpipe. Repeat this upward abdominal thrust ten times, if necessary, in rapid succession.
3. If you don't have the strength to hold your child upright, lay him on his back on the floor. Put the heel of a hand on each side of his abdomen, just below the ribs.
4. Apply sudden in-and-up thrusts in rapid succession.