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Parenting

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Original poster

God Gave Me A Free One Today

31 replies

GeorginaA · 04/08/2004 21:11

At the risk of sounding horribly melodramatic, my ds1 almost died today because of my complete stupidity.

I gave him a boiled sweet - he's 3. I didn't even think it would be an issue... it was in a party bag from a party of a younger (by a few months) child. Then his younger brother woke up and started howling, I started to go upstairs to see to him. It was then ds1 started choking.

He'd got bored of his sweet and tried to swallow it I think. He was panicking, I could see it in his eyes... couldn't cough it up. I tipped him upside down and banged hard and it wasn't working. Didn't know what to do - 999 would be too slow, next door may or may not be in and probably wouldn't be able to help either. It felt like an eternity.

He FINALLY coughed it up, vomiting everywhere. He was sobbing, I was sobbing, I nearly cut off his air supply again by hugging him too tight. I must have been fairly hysterical because he started telling ME to calm down.

I can't believe what a near miss it was. It could have happened 60 seconds later while I was upstairs and wouldn't be able to tell...

I think the next boiled sweet he'll get is when he's 20...

OP posts:

hercules · 04/08/2004 21:16

Thankgod he's okay!

It might be worth doing a first aid course as you shouldnt actually put them upside down.

I think its back slaps with them lying on your knees with their head lower then their back.
IOf that doesnt shift it then chest thrusts.

Original poster

GeorginaA · 04/08/2004 21:20

Actually... over my knees is nearer what it was. I didn't hold him by his ankles or anything! But you're right, I should do a first aid course.

I think I aged about 20 years in the space of thirty seconds...

OP posts:

Angeliz · 04/08/2004 21:21

Georgina thank God he's o.k!!

Hope you are o.k and not dwelling on it
Have a glass of wine and relax!+++++++

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twogorgeousboys · 04/08/2004 21:37

GeorginaA - I think most of us have had these "near misses". So glad he's ok. ((((Hugs to you)))).

Twiglett · 04/08/2004 22:07

message withdrawn

nutcracker · 04/08/2004 22:14

God that is so frightening isn't it. I remember my brother doing that when he was about 8. My dad just grabbed him and tipped him upside down, slapping his back.

Everyone was pretty speechless for a while.

Glad he's o.k GA

Metrobaby · 04/08/2004 22:19

what a shock for you GeorginaA. Poor you and your ds.

Glad it turned out OK though.

whymummy · 04/08/2004 22:24

is awful isn't it georgina?ds nearly chocked on one of those hulahops crisps when he was younger and dd almost fell of a 4th floor window 3 weeks ago,kids!!
glad he's ok,don't blame yourself,those things happen no matter how careful you are

mears · 04/08/2004 22:31

Very frightening GeorginaA - I think you are not a real parent until you have been there {smile]

The following BBC link had an interactive piece on it for a choking child for the next time! chokingchild

mears · 04/08/2004 22:32

Grizzly · 04/08/2004 22:35

GeorginaA - I can understand your distress - poor you and poor ds, but try not to dwell on it. No long term damage done - and please don't think it's due to 'stupidity'. As he is 3, you must have had loads of incidents by now - no-one can be 100% attentive 100% of the time and only a saint could predict every hazard without hindsight. At the weekend I put ds - 11 months old and wriggly - on my mother in law's bed and turned my back for 10 seconds to find a nappy. (How stupid is that??) The inevitable happened and he landed on the floor. Fortunately no serious harm except to my credibility as a mother with the in-laws. I cried harder than he did. If you need to find something positive from the incident, then enrol on a first aid course so you will feel more in control if another nasty situation comes along. Otherwise just thank your lucky stars and give him another big hug in the morning.

WideWebWitch · 04/08/2004 22:35

Glad he's ok GeorginaA. know the feeling, my dd choked when she was 3 months and I really thought she was going to die. Scary.

Angeliz · 04/08/2004 22:39

mears i just did that test.
Thanks for that, it's a great link.

wobblyknicks · 04/08/2004 22:41

georgina - what a weird coincidence! I had a motorbike paramedic out this morning because dd started choking (just on her own spit, was nothing in her mouth), couldn't breathe, and her lips went very pale and bluey and even though I laid her down my leg so she was laying with her head lower than her feet and slapped her on the back it still wouldn't clear. Luckily it cleared well before the paramedic actually got there but still so scary isn't it?

Original poster

GeorginaA · 04/08/2004 22:44

Doing that test now, mears. First one is about a boiled sweet wan smile

'orrible things. Should be banned.

Very useful though, thank you. And thank you for all your messages.

OP posts:

whymummy · 04/08/2004 22:45

i did the test too,thanks mears

Original poster

GeorginaA · 04/08/2004 22:46

hugs wobblyknicks - glad yours had a happy ending too.

OP posts:

whymummy · 04/08/2004 22:49

I didn't see your message wobbly,glad she's ok

wobblyknicks · 04/08/2004 22:50

thanks georgina - glad yours is alright now. Felt like such a fraud having phoned and then she cleared it - I know I shouldn't though. All the first aid I know ran through my mind and I instantly felt like she was about to go blue and lose consciousness and even though I've given mouth to mouth to an adult before I just thought "I can't do it to my baby, I won't do it right", so panicked a bit . Never mind, all ok now.

wobblyknicks · 04/08/2004 22:51

thanks whymummy too

expatkat · 04/08/2004 23:18

Phew, GeorginaA. I really hate boiled sweets and in our house we call them "choking sweets" or "chokings" for short. (Nice way to hand down your neuroses to the next generation, huh!) I just never let my kids have them and don't think I ever will. Not that I've ever had a bad experience with one personally, but I remember a school friend choked on one (more than once!) as a teenager & her father ended up becoming quite adept at the Heimlich maneuver. He saved her life a couple of times.

That said, I've had a couple of near-choking experiences with dd who should be WELL past the putting-everything-in-her-mouth stage but nonetheless isn't. Paramedics called twice in one year luckily not in the same country or I'd be blacklisted by the NHS by now.

kbaby · 05/08/2004 12:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Northerner · 05/08/2004 12:28

Georgina thank god he's OK. It makes me go cold just thinking what could have been.

This happenned to me when I was about 6, and a murray mint got stuck. Luckily I was in the garden with my Dad at the time, but he says the exact same thing as you - he could see absolute panic in my eyes and knew it was serious.

My Mum would not let boiled sweets/mints in her house again for years.

bundle · 05/08/2004 12:39

mears, that's a great website, thanks.

Thomcat · 05/08/2004 12:44

How awful, you poor things.
So pleased everyhting is ok.

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