Choking
Anything small enough to fit into a baby’s mouth will go straight in. He will use
his sensitive tongue and mouth to explore the shape, size and texture of things. Baby toys
are designed with this in mind and care is taken to ensure that they cannot be swallowed.
Many toys are marked ‘not suitable for under 36 months’ for this reason.
- Choose toys that are designed for babies. Don’t be tempted to let him play with
items that look like toys but are really decorations or ornaments.
- Take extra care if you have an older child in the house. Small parts of toys lying
around can be very dangerous to a crawling baby. Construction toys may need to be
restricted to a bedroom or used on a dining room table for a while.
- Avoid leaving coins, keys or other small items within reach of your baby.
- Never leave a baby alone while eating as he could choke on lumps of food. Usually he
will cough and splutter until the food is out, but you may need to reach into his mouth
with your finger and hook it out. If this doesn’t work put him on your knee facing
downwards and give him a very firm pat on the back.
- Do not leave your baby alone with a propped up bottle.
- Some foods are unsuitable for babies and toddlers because of their size and texture.
Peanuts are especially dangerous as they can be easily inhaled and, once inside the
child's body, can cause damage to the tissues of the lungs.
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