How to Treat a Conscious Choking Infant

A choking victim can't breathe, which deprives the brain of precious oxygen. Using the following technique could save a life.

Things You'll Need

• First Aid Books
• First Aid Kits
• First Aid Classes

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Instructions

• 1

  Look for signs of choking: coughing for several minutes without stopping; inability to cough, cry or breathe; abnormally weak cough; a high-pitched wheezing sound.

• 2

  Hold the infant, placing his or her front side along your forearm, stabilizing him or her by holding the face with your fingers.

• 3

  Bend your knee, keeping the lower half of your leg perpendicular to the ground, and making a 45-degree angle between your lower and upper leg.

• 4

  Place your forearm - the one that's holding the infant - against your upper leg.

• 5

  Give five quick, sharp yet gentle blows to the infant's back, using the heel of your other hand. The blows should land between the infant's shoulder blades.

• 6

  Transfer the infant to the other forearm so that his or her back is against it.

• 7

  Place the forearm - the one that's holding the infant - against your upper leg, with your other leg in the same position as before.

• 8

  Give five quick yet gentle thrusts with your middle and index fingers together on the center of the infant's breastbone.

• 9

  Repeat the back-blow-and-chest-thrust cycle until the object is dislodged and the infant can breathe again.