As Easter approaches we deemed it worthy to share a post of the choking danger posed by mini eggs.
In case you hadn’t noticed mini eggs have a warning on the back of their packaging which states that they are not suitable for any children under the age of 4.
Mini eggs as well as other small rounded sweets are the same size as a child’s airway and can very easily cause choking.
What to do if a child over 1 or adult adult is choking:
- Encourage them to Cough to see if they are able to clear it themselves.
- If they are unable to cough. Bend them forward supporting their chest with your hand or bend them over your knee so their head is lower than their chest and give up to 5 Back Blows with the heel of your hand, between the shoulder blades. Please ensure you check between each back blow to check if the obstruction has cleared before repeating.
- If the obstruction hasn’t cleared, try up to 5 Abdominal Thrusts. Stand or kneel behind the casualty, place one hand in a fist under the ribcage. Use the other hand to pull sharply inwards and upwards in a “J” shaped motion to dislodge the obstruction. Please ensure you check between each abdominal thrust to check if the obstruction has cleared before repeating. Never attempt this technique on babies under 1 or pregnant women.
If the obstruction has not cleared, call 999/112 for an ambulance. Until help arrives, alternate up to 5 Back Blows and 5 Abdominal Thrusts.
If at any point the casualty becomes unresponsive, start CPR.
Note: Please ensure you seek medical attention if abdominal thrusts are performed on someone to check for any injuries.
