How do you know if a toy is a choking hazard for your child? Here’s a nurse’s tip

in collaboration with

Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director)

Toddlers spontaneously put all objects in their mouths. This reflex is normal but perhaps dangerous, even if it is a child’s toy. Indeed, the risk of suffocation is real if the toy in question is too small. But how do you know? A nurse reveals her secret, to be reassured.

Two questions to ask yourself, according to the expert

Obviously, the first instinct to have is to consult the toy itself, which will include age recommendations. It will also have safety warnings, indicated in the instructions for use. The CE marking is also a guarantee of safety, for the use of the toy by a young child.

But this nurse’s tip can also help you, from a practical point of view. In fact, she recommends asking yourself two more questions before giving a toy to a child:

• “Can it fit between your thumb and index finger in a circle?“
• “Is the object shorter than your index finger?“

A choking hazard for objects under a certain size

According to the expert, “any object less than 3.1 cm in diameter and 5.7 cm long presents a choking and ingestion risk for a child under three years of age“. According to her, “Most people’s thumb and index finger form a circle 3 cm in diameter. And most people’s index finger, from knuckle to tip, measures about 6cm“. Using your fingers would therefore be a good way to measure toys. And to make sure you do it correctly, you can measure your own hands.

What to do if a child suffocates?

If, unfortunately, your child were to choke, we asked Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo, to find out what action to take. “In case suffocation of a toddler, you have to act quickly but not untimely. There are things to do or not to do so as not to make the situation worse.” he says.

First, you have to assess the situation. “If it is a partial choking, with a child who can cough, cry or breathe, even with difficulty, let him cough to expel the object on his own. Monitor him carefully and reassure him.” adds the doctor. “Subsequently, a medical consultation is imperative, sometimes with x-rayto check that the object is not in the lungs.

If you are faced with a child who is completely choking, “he cannot breathe, cough or make sounds” describes Gérald Kierzek. “We must therefore intervene immediately“.

• For an infantyou must immediately call for help or ask someone to call for help (15, 112 or 18). “Place the baby on your forearm, stomach down, head lower than the body. Give 5 firm taps between the shoulder blades with the flat of your hand. If the object is not expelled, turn the baby onto his back, still on your forearm, and perform 5 chest compressions with two fingers in the middle of the chest, just below the nipple line. Alternate 5 back blows and 5 chest compressions until the object is expelled.” details Gérald Kierzek;
• If the child is older“stand behind him and wrap your arms around him. Make a fist with one hand and place it just above your belly button. Place the other hand on top and apply pressure upwards and towards you. Repeat this gesture until the object is expelled” recommends the emergency doctor, who recalls the importance of following first aid training “to be better prepared for this type of emergency situation“.