DS (21mos) was choking so I stuck my fingers down his throat

[madmarchhare]

and he was sick which seemed to solve the problem. Should I have dealt with it differently?

In Hindsight maybe, But you do what you think is right in these situations and if it worked then great

I know when doing my 1st aid we were told not to put fingers down the troat in case you push it further down but we are human and follow our instincts

Throat , blimey I can't spell today

the alternative would have been to lie him forward over your knees and thump his back to dislodge what he was choking on

Well thats what I thought afterward. What should I have done?

X

No, you shouldn't stick your fingers down his throat, you could push the obstruction further down and make matters worse.

If it happens again, lie him face-down across your knee and give some firm (but not too hard!) slaps on his back, that should dislodge the obstruction. You can then fish it out - make a hook with your finger and sweep it around rather than shoving them down.

The more I think about it now makes me feel awful. Just the thought that I could have made it worse. I usually like to think that Im fairly sensible but it was just gut reaction. It was truly horrible.

Where do I start with a first aid for children course?

Local college, st johns ambulance, your hv may have info. I did mine through a local community centre and it was free for all mums and dads :-)

Don't feel bad, you just had a knee jerk panic reaction and it was okay. Really don't feel bad. You know now there are better ways and perhaps this will spur you into a first aid course. I really need and should go on one too.

you didn't make it worse though, you made it better so don't feel bad

but a first aid course would be useful I think at least to stop the panic .. although saying that I've done 2 and still can't remember what to do .. I just get transfixed with inertia when faced with a crisis

St John's Ambulance do courses - put your postcode in and it'll tell you where your nearest ones are being held.

Right, am booked on a course. Feeling much better and quite pleased with myself now.