TGIF

The other day my husband's assistant had a choking incident and it reminded me of this helpful hint that I thought I would pass along to all of you, since you never know when you or one of your kids might choke.

My husband's assistant was sitting at her desk on Monday, checking some emails and munching on a cracker when a piece of it got lodged in her throat. She cleared her throat multiple times but could not get the cracker to budge. At this point she was frantic as she felt the cracker scratching at her throat and constricting her airway, so she got up from her desk and wandered down the hall to seek help, which she was lucky enough to find.

I am a firm believer in ALL parents being First Aid and CPR certified before the arrival of their first child. I just think it is a good skill to have and one that will definitely make you more confident as a first time parent. I am trained in both and I have had to use those skills on my son before when he was choking and turning blue. That being said, I realize that we live in a world defined by our time constraints and taking a class may not be in the cards for you. If that is the case, do not despair, just keep this trick in mind.

If you, or your child are choking DO NOT hit the choking victim on the back. This is the first reaction that most people have and the WORST thing to do because you can actually force the choking hazard further down into the victim's throat, causing more airway constriction.

The best thing to do is put the victim's arms up in the air and take a deep breath. This will open the airway and the lungs easily and force the choking hazard to go all the way down the pipe instead of letting it hang out in the middle.

So, the next time your child is choking on a cracker or a piece of hot dog, just simply lift both of their arms towards the sky to help things along and if that fails, administer the Heimlich maneuver or call 911.