Child Safety: Preventing Dangerous Swallowing Accidents

Choking and swallowing accidents are one of the most common causes of injury to young children, and RoSPA's research points to a stark fact: the majority of choking deaths happen in the first year of life, and around 95% happen at home. Most of these accidents are preventable with a few consistent habits.

Common hazards in the home

Babies and toddlers explore the world by putting things in their mouths, which makes ordinary household items into hazards:

• Small toys, building bricks and marbles, especially ones belonging to older siblings
• Coins, buttons and small hardware around the house
• Button batteries, found in remote controls, keys fobs, toys and small electronics
• Round or firm foods like grapes, cherry tomatoes, blackberries and sausages

Practical prevention

• Cut risky foods down. Quarter grapes and berries lengthways, and cut sausages into small pieces rather than rounds.
• Keep floors and surfaces clear of small objects, particularly after older children have been playing.
• Sit them down to eat and drink. Walking, running or lying down while eating increases the risk of choking.
• Supervise closely. There's no substitute for keeping a young child in view during play and mealtimes.

Button batteries: a danger worth knowing about

Button batteries deserve special attention, they can cause serious internal injury within hours if swallowed. If you know or suspect your child has swallowed one:

• Get them to A&E as soon as possible, this is a medical emergency.
• If they're over 12 months old, giving 2 teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes on the way can help reduce damage. Don't give honey to infants under one year old.
• Don't give any other food or drink, and don't try to make them vomit.
• Watch for vomiting blood, chest or throat pain, drooling, or difficulty swallowing.

If you're not sure whether they've swallowed a battery, NHS 111 can advise.

If a child is choking

A choking child may clutch at their chest or neck, and won't be able to speak, breathe or cough properly.

1. Give up to 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades.
2. If that doesn't clear it, give up to 5 abdominal thrusts: stand or kneel behind them, and pull inwards and upwards above the belly button.
3. Keep alternating back blows and abdominal thrusts until the object clears, help arrives, or they become unresponsive.
4. Call 999 if the blockage doesn't clear.

Confidence matters as much as knowledge

Knowing the theory is a great start. Our Paediatric First Aid course gives parents, carers and early years staff hands-on practice with choking, resuscitation and other childhood emergencies.

View Paediatric First Aid courses

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