As we head towards Easter, the shops are filled with lots of sweet treats. These are incredibly enticing, however they could potentially put children at risk of choking. Small treats could possibly become stuck in your child’s throat.

We offer some advice to make this Easter a safer time for you and your family. Please note that this advice is for children aged over 12 months. For babies younger than this, different techniques are required and abdominal thrusts must not be used.

How do I know if my child is choking?

If your child can cough, cry or speak, encourage them to continue coughing.

If they cannot breathe, cry or cough effectively, act immediately. They may:

  • be unable to breathe, cry or cough
  • show signs of distress.

Cough it out:

  • Encourage them to cough and carefully remove any obvious obstruction from the front of their mouth only if you can clearly see it.
  • If coughing fails to work, give up to five sharp back blows.
  • Help them to lean forwards, supporting their upper body with one hand. With the heel of your other hand, give up to five sharp back blows between their shoulder blades.
  • After each back blow, check their mouth and only remove an object if you can clearly see it.
  • Do not put your fingers blindly into the mouth, as this could push the object further down the throat.

Squeeze it out:

  • If back blows fail to clear the obstruction, give up to five abdominal thrusts.
  • Stand behind them and put your arms around the child’s waist.
  • Place one hand in a clenched fist between their belly button and the bottom of their chest.
  • With your other hand, grasp your fist and pull sharply inwards and upwards up to five times.
  • Check the mouth after every thrust.
  • If the object comes out, stop abdominal thrusts and seek medical advice.
  • Call 999 if the obstruction does not clear quickly, or at any point you are concerned.
  • Repeat up to five back blows and up to five abdominal thrusts until help arrives or the object is removed, checking the mouth between each action.
  • If the child becomes unresponsive at any point, prepare to start CPR.
  • All children who have received abdominal thrusts should be seen in hospital, even if the obstruction has cleared, due to the risk of internal injury.

If your child has stopped breathing:

If your child is unresponsive and not breathing, shout for help or get a second person to call 999 immediately while you start CPR. Put your phone on speaker.

Breathe If you are trained to do so and feel comfortable, give five initial rescue breaths. Place the child on a firm surface and open their airway. Place one hand on their forehead to tilt their head back and use two fingers of your other hand to gently lift the chin.

With the head still tilted, take a breath and put your mouth around the child’s mouth to make a seal. Breathe gently and watch for the chest to rise, then fall.

Pump Give 30 chest compressions. Kneel beside the child and place one hand in the centre of their chest. Push down to about a third of the depth of the chest, then release fully.

Repeat 30 times at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute (think Staying Alive).

Repeat Give two rescue breaths followed by 30 chest compressions. Continue CPR until help arrives.

It’s worth brushing up on your first aid knowledge so you’re prepared if something goes wrong or you’re faced with an emergency.

Simple first aid skills, such as recognising a cardiac arrest, starting chest compressions, relieving choking and knowing how to stop a bleed, can make all the difference.

You should always call 999 in a serious medical emergency.

St John Ambulance runs Paediatric First Aid courses, which anyone can join through our website (sja.org.uk). The charity also has lots of free online resources, including its YouTube channel, where anyone can learn how to save a life.