Reduce Your Baby's Risk of Choking
Babies explore the world around them in primarily three ways: looking, touching and tasting. These last two often go together. Babies love to grab anything they can get their hands on and, if it's small enough, put it in their mouths. This leaves them open to the risk of choking. But you can reduce your baby's risk of choking by following some simple guidelines and staying vigilant.
Instructions
1. Supervise your baby at all times while he is eating solid foods. This will not only reduce the risk of your baby choking, but allow you to quickly respond if he does begin to choke.
2. Keep your baby upright whenever she is eating solid foods.
3. Mash up any solid foods before feeding them to your baby. Babies don't always chew their food, especially before teething, so be sure whatever you put in your baby's mouth is ready for swallowing.
4. Avoid any hard or especially dry foods, or anything that might get caught in the baby's throat. Some key foods to keep away from babies and small children are popcorn, hard candy, nuts, hot dogs, peanut butter and raw carrots.
5. Choose your baby's toys carefully. Read the information on the box, and inspect the toy for any small, removable parts that could cause choking if swallowed.
6. Keep marbles, coins, pins and all other small objects out of your baby's reach at all times. It might be a good idea to keep a collection jar or mug handy, so that you and other members of your family have a place to quickly toss unsafe objects. Make sure the jar is out of the baby's reach.
7. Consider buying a "choke tube," which replicates the diameter of a small child's windpipe, allowing you to test potential choking hazards.
Tags: your baby, solid foods, your baby, baby reach, Baby Risk, eating solid