1. NUTS- Peanuts are the leading cause of childhood choking. All nuts pose a threat because of their size and shape, and therefore should be avoided.
Hot dogs and sausages
Kids tend to love these easy-to-cook items, but this popularity makes hot dogs and other sausages some of the most choked-on food around. Be sure to cut them into small, irregular shapes before serving. Some experts recommend cutting hot dogs length-wise to start.
Hot dogs. This is the #1 choking food we see in our Emergency Department. We would not recommend giving hot dogs to babies or toddlers from a nutritional standpoint, but if you choose to, be sure to cut slices into halves or quarters. Whole grapes.
Choking can be broken up into two categories – full choking and partially choking and gagging. Partially choking and gagging involves two different parts of your body. So, partially choking involves your air pipe and gagging involves your food pipe.
Soups. Chocolate (if it gets stuck, it melts). Applesauce, pudding and Jell-o. Lightly toasted bread with butter or jelly.
Try to avoid the front of the neck and apply the main pressure around the sides and back as if you apply over the throat you are further promoting damage to the throat and larynx." The most important rule of choking is to have a clear "tap out" signal.
Children ages 3 years and younger are particularly vulnerable to choking risks because younger children are still learning to chew and swallow food and often put new objects in their mouths. Parents and guardians can help prevent their child from choking on food by keeping to the following tips.
Over 4,000 choking-related deaths occur in the United States every year. Deaths from choking most often occur in the very young (children under 2 years old) and in the elderly (adults over 75 years).
Death from choking
In the United States, the odds of one dying from choking on food is around 1 in 2,659. These odds are greater than the odds of dying from an accidental gun discharge or as a passenger on a plane.
It's advised to cut up grapes for children up to five, as they have small airways that can easily be blocked by a grape. But primary school children may still have small airways, though they're better at chewing and swallowing. That's why there's no fixed cut-off age for cutting up children's grapes.
In addition, the process of aging can be accompanied by decreased salivary production. This problem, often compounded by medications that reduce salivary flow, further increases choking hazards as we grow older. Taken together, these factors put the elderly at seven times the risk of choking as children aged 1 to 4.
Yogurt is not considered a common choking hazard for babies. However, prepare it safely by making sure your little one doesn't put too much in her mouth at once (especially thicker varieties like Greek yogurt) and ensuring that any mix-ins (like chopped berries) are an appropriate size and consistency for her age.
Before age 4, children aren't able to grind their food into small pieces. Protect your child by making a safe eating environment and avoiding certain foods until your child is age 4. At meals: Supervise your child.
Don't drink any water to try forcing the food down—that can actually make it worse, Dr. Bradley notes.
If a person chokes on saliva, encourage them to cough. If they are unable to cough or seem unable to breathe, call 911. A doctor or paramedic may need to suction the airway to help them breathe again.
Rapid first aid for choking can save a life. The universal distress signal for choking is grabbing the throat with one or both hands.
The Aha Recommends Guidelines for Water Choking:
Perform a Heimlich maneuver on the person. The Heimlich maneuver is a procedure that involves placing your hands around the person's waist and thrusting upwards into the diaphragm. This will help to dislodge the object that is blocking the airway.
Mild Choking is due to a partial blockage. When this happens, the person might be able to speak and will be trying to cough. You might hear wheezing or a gagging sound. You should encourage them to cough hard to clear the blockage. In some cases, back blows with the heel of your hand can loosen the object.