2 choking incidents in a few days :( hand hold please !

[jblue2018]

Just feeling so panicky and ‘what if’....
My DD (18m) has always been good despite not having too many teeth she’s never had a ‘proper’ choking (as opposed to gagging) incident.

Out for lunch the other day she must have piled in a bit of mango too quick and we noticed she was choking. It’s a bit of a blur but she was silent, making gagging faces and arching her back like she was frightening. OH whipped her out of the chair and with a few back blows it flew out with a load of saliva (?!!). She was fine any carried on eating.. I was traumatised!! It felt like forever but couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds. I was worried and thought maybe we should have taken her to the doctor but OH said she is fine now.

Today in nursery I was informed at the end of the day she choked on fruit again. They hit her back and it came out. Didn’t seem overly concerned and didn’t recommend getting her checked out.

I’m a wreck !! Why is this happening ?!!

Gosh it’s soooooooo scary when that happens. I’ve had 2 similar incidents; one with each child.

My eldest choked on carrot, was red and making no noises, I think I was scarred for life from that!!

My youngest choked on a apricot, again not making any noises, huge smacks in back and it flew out.

The main thing I do is make sure they never eat alone, they are sitting up eating so not slouching on a sofa, I still chop my 4 year olds grapes into quarters!!

My DS choked on bananas and custard when he was 3 and I was traumatised.
A couple of backblows and it was out, again DS wasn't bothered.

Just keep an eagle eye on her with food, make sure she's sitting properly etc, maybe look into a family first aid course so you feel more familiar with what you can do. I do them for work and it makes me feel much for in control knowing what to do

@jblue2018

Just feeling so panicky and ‘what if’.... My DD (18m) has always been good despite not having too many teeth she’s never had a ‘proper’ choking (as opposed to gagging) incident.

Out for lunch the other day she must have piled in a bit of mango too quick and we noticed she was choking. It’s a bit of a blur but she was silent, making gagging faces and arching her back like she was frightening. OH whipped her out of the chair and with a few back blows it flew out with a load of saliva (?!!). She was fine any carried on eating.. I was traumatised!! It felt like forever but couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds. I was worried and thought maybe we should have taken her to the doctor but OH said she is fine now.

Today in nursery I was informed at the end of the day she choked on fruit again. They hit her back and it came out. Didn’t seem overly concerned and didn’t recommend getting her checked out.

I’m a wreck !! Why is this happening ?!!

My DS did this with some fruit when we began baby led weaning and then 3 times since as he eats really quickly - it’s really scary but the HV said its more likely to happen when they begin to get too confident with certain foods and textures. So we mix it up a lot more - strangely enough tough or hard textures slows him down and when he eats those he’s fine!

It is scary but your DH did exactly right.
I teach Paediatric First aid and choking is always the one that resonates with learners.
I suggest looking at getting on a first aid course....some of us do a parent course of a few hrs just to go through this sort of scenario.

It’s reassuring to know I’m not alone!! Should I have got her seen by a medical professional after? She seems fine in herself and is eating and drinking ok. The nursery didn’t say so they can’t have been that concerned I would think?

@InTheShadowOfTheMushroomCloud

It is scary but your DH did exactly right. I teach Paediatric First aid and choking is always the one that resonates with learners. I suggest looking at getting on a first aid course....some of us do a parent course of a few hrs just to go through this sort of scenario.

Do you know of any courses online? I was supposed to do an nct one but it’s been cancelled

We have actually done a first aid course which is why DH knew what to do!

I’ve just checked a paediatric first aid manual I got from the course and it says you should seek medical attention if they received abdominal thrusts, which she didn’t. So I do feel a bit better about that but now. Still the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me!

Joking is scary. I think it's because it's silent.

Choking *

My dd choked on calpol when she was a baby. I didn’t realise at first because she was quiet, but it must be because my mum was holding her laying down and it’s thick liquid but I noticed something wasn’t right and her lips were going blue. As soon as I grabbed her and put her upright she was fine. So not really choking as nothing stuck but scary just the same.
Sounds like you did all the right things. Maybe make sure food is chopped up quite small for now? If only to reassure yourself.

Hi, I just wanted to say that I had the same experience with my DS when he was little. It was awful. He also snored which a nurse friend pointed out once when he was asleep in his buggy. She said he may have large tonsils/adenoids. At first GP appt they looked in his throat and said he had "kissing tonsils". His tonsils almost met meaning he only had a small gap for food to go down (hence the choking). They advised against surgery but a year or so later he had a terrible choking episode and needed severe back slaps like your child, he came close to dying I think. GP agreed to refer to ENT who did tonsillectomy. He has never choked since, not once (or snored). Your child may just be exhibiting "normal" choking but it's worth considering very large tonsils as a possibility. It is terrifying though and I really hope it doesn't happen to your child again.

@GrumpyHoonMain - you need to do a face to face practical session. Online is ok for the theory but you need to physically do it all on a resus doll.

And if you haven't done abdominal thrusts then no need to send to hospital. But use your judgment