What to do when a child is choking

Assignment Week Three

Jennifer McCarty

• Create two scenarios: one in which a child is choking and another in which a child needs CPR. In each of your scenarios, include who is involved and where it is occurring (for example, a 5-year-old in a preschool setting has stopped breathing and is apparently choking on a piece of food). Then outline the proper emergency procedures for dealing with each situation (see pages 178–179 in your text).
• Next, summarize why advance planning is often the best way to respond to or prevent an emergency situation and the kinds of training (e.g., CPR or first aid training) you believe are needed in order to prevent or positively resolve such emergencies.
• Finally, describe any other steps adults must take to ensure they are prepared to handle these kinds of crises, including such information as first aid supplies, family emergency contact information, and so on.

A child of one year of age in a daycare center I am working at is starting to turn blue and is apparently having trouble breathing. The child seems to be choking on something, but I am not sure what that object is. Proper emergency procedure is to act immediately and to stay calm, stay at the scene and give help, assess the child who is in trouble from head-to-toe, if necessary call 911, notify the parents, stay with the child until the parents or help arrives, and fill out a report after the incident is over.
A four year old child has stopped breathing because the child swallowed a piece of food that was too big, and it is now lodged in the child’s esophagus which is cutting off oxygen. Proper procedure would be to act immediately and stay calm. Acting immediately would be to start CPR. Next, I would have to stay at the scene. Next I would assess the child from head-to-toe as I was administering CPR. Next I would not move the child because they could be more injured than I realize. Then I would or have someone call 911. Then I would call the parents. I would then try and treat the child so they do not go into shock by covering them with a blanket. Then I would stay with the child until help arrived. After the incident is over I would fill out a report.
Advanced planning for possible emergencies is necessary because without it, no one would know what to do or how to help a child if they have an emergency. By having a plan and knowing what to do in case of a possible emergency, you can act quickly and provide the child with the necessary care. Advanced training can be crucial in helping to prevent or helping to treat a possible emergency. I believe CPR/First Aid training are crucial. Children hurt themselves all the time, so knowing what first aid to administer can be helpful. Knowing CPR is also crucial in case the child stops breathing so that you know how to do chest compressions and when to breathe into the child’s mouth. Taking a class on what to do in case of an emergency is also important so you know what to do when certain injuries occur.
Other possible steps that could be taken are parents could provide medical information for their child so that we as the caregivers know if the child has any medical conditions, allergies, and so on. Two, parents providing contact information for themselves as well as the child’s pediatrician can be helpful. If we have a question and the parent is unavailable, we can call the pediatrician for answers. Having the proper medical supplies around is also important. Having supplies such as band-aids, gauze, ice-packs, cotton balls, and so on can be very helpful because children hurt themselves all the time.
Robertson, Cathie 2010. Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. Wadsworth.