What To Do If A Child Is Choking
This is one of those things I really hope you never need, but if you do, you don’t want it to be the first time you’re seeing the steps.
A lot of choking situations happen really quickly, and when you panic it’s easy to forget what to do first. So I wanted to put everything into one simple place that’s easy to come back to.
12 months +
For older babies and children, start with back blows.
Lean the child forward slightly and support their chest with one hand while giving up to 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades.
If the blockage still doesn’t come out, move to abdominal thrusts.
Stand or kneel behind the child, place your arms around their waist, make a fist, then pull sharply inwards and upwards between the belly button and ribs.
Alternate between back blows and abdominal thrusts until the object comes out or help arrives.
Even if the blockage clears, it’s still worth getting them checked afterwards to make sure there’s no injury or anything left affecting the airway.
Under 12 months
For babies under 1, the recommended steps are slightly different because abdominal thrusts are not used at this age.
Start with back blows.
Lay baby face down along your forearm while supporting their head and neck. Their head should stay lower than their chest.
Give up to 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades using the heel of your hand. Check after each blow to see if the object has come out.
If it hasn’t, carefully turn baby over while still supporting their head and give up to 5 chest thrusts using 2 fingers in the centre of the chest, just below the nipple line.
You keep alternating between back blows and chest thrusts until the blockage clears or emergency help arrives.
If baby becomes unconscious at any point, call 999 immediately and start CPR if you know how to.
What to do next
If the blockage doesn’t come out, call 999.
Keep alternating the recommended techniques for the child’s age until help arrives.
If they become unconscious, start CPR if you know how to.
A few important things to remember:
Only try to remove the object if you can actually see it
If they’re coughing loudly, encourage them to keep coughing
Keep going until the object comes out or help arrives
I’m also putting together a simple at-home first aid kit essentials guide because emergencies are stressful enough without trying to remember where things are.
Final thought
Hopefully this is never something you need to use.
But I do think these are the kinds of things that are easier to process before you’re in an actual emergency situation.
Even just reading through it once can help it feel slightly less overwhelming later.
This isn’t professional advice — just a simple breakdown of what I’ve found helpful.
Most of this is easier to understand when you can see it clearly.
I’ve put all my guides and posts into one place so you can browse them properly.
Watch the original video here
FAQs
What’s the difference between gagging and choking?
Gagging is usually noisy and babies often sort it out themselves. Choking is much quieter — they may struggle to breathe, go silent, or not be able to cry properly.
Should I put my fingers in their mouth to get the object out?
Only if you can clearly see the object. Blind finger sweeps can accidentally push it further down.
Can babies under 1 have abdominal thrusts?
No — abdominal thrusts are not recommended for babies under 12 months. For younger babies, you alternate between back blows and chest thrusts instead.
What should I do if the object comes out but they still seem upset?
It’s still a good idea to get them checked, especially if they needed chest thrusts or abdominal thrusts. Sometimes the airway can still be irritated afterwards.
Is it worth learning baby CPR even if I hopefully never use it?
Honestly, yes. Even knowing the basics can help you feel less panicked in an emergency, and most parents say they’d rather know it and never need it.