Babies are extremely fragile and very much prone to choking. Infant choking can be the most terrifying thing to face. It is very common, but largely preventable. The first thing that you need to understand is that there are plenty of reasons why infants are susceptible to choking. These reasons include;
Due to the reasons mentioned above, it is crucially important to take precautions for your baby’s special needs. Here we will discuss ways to help you prevent you baby and infant from the risk of choking.
It is very important for the person feeding the infant to realize it will take the toddler in question some time to swallow his or her food. Feed in small portions. Take breaks after each spoon, making sure that your infant has properly swallowed his or her food. If you do not allow time between feeding, your baby will not learn how to eat slowly and properly chew his or her food. Also, never feed an infant when she does not want to be fed, this will only make your baby distressed and more prone to infant choking.
Often parents get too excited when it comes to weaning their baby and starting solids. This is can be a very exciting stage for you, however it can be very dangerous for your baby. You need to be careful of when you start the weaning process, as your baby may not have developed the skills yet. Usually four to six months are the right ages to start your baby on solids, depending on your baby’s appetite. It is always good to consult your baby’s pediatrician over when to start his or her solids.
After you have figured out the right age to wean and start your babies on solids, it is also time you learn what kind of food to give your baby. There are many foods which are not suitable for your baby’s special needs and therefore can cause infant choking. Foods to avoid infant chocking;
These are all foods that are not suitable for babies or infants. You should feed your baby food that is not too large, hard, firm or even too small. Pureed foods that are neither solid nor liquid are the best to give babies. You can make a puree of fresh bananas or even boil some potatoes and carrots and smash them up and give to your baby in tiny portions to prevent choking in infants.
Babies are moody. Sometimes they do not want to eat and sometimes they just want their milk. You need to be the expert in knowing when it is the right time to feed your baby. Never offer food when your baby or infant is lying down, crying, laughing, playing or is asking for milk. These are times when your baby is doing something else, and his\her concentration and attention is somewhere else. Always have proper timings for feeding you baby so that they can learn and adapt to what they are supposed to do and automatically learn when it is time to eat.
Infants and babies tend to adventurous and yearn to learn and observe their environment. Their way of learning and observing is by putting things in their mouth which can cause infant choking. You need to baby proof your house or the place your baby usually plays, keep all small things far away and always pay close attention to what your infant is doing in order to prevent infant choking.
If you are bottle feeding your baby, it is important for you to know the proper holes to give according to age. If your baby is zero months, make sure the hole in the nipple is tiny. As if the nipple is too large, the flow of milk will be far more than the infants capacity to swallow and can be easily prone to choking.
