The swallowing
In German, “swallowing” is used synonymously for two emergency situations: on the one hand, swallowing things that end up in the esophagus or stomach but do not belong there, such as a small piece of Lego; on the other hand, swallowing a piece of food or something else that ends up in the windpipe. The latter in particular is a real emergency, as there is a risk that the child will not be able to breathe.
Lucia Schmidt
Editor in the “Life” department of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.
“It is important at this moment to calm the child down and to observe it closely,” explains Annalena Dehé, who runs the website www.12minutes.de together with her husband, where you can find information and helpful courses on first aid for children. “If the child coughs after swallowing, if it takes a breath and doesn’t turn blue, then it’s still getting enough oxygen, then you can stay calm for the time being,” says Dehé.
It doesn’t matter whether the swallowed object is stuck in the trachea or esophagus: It is practical that parents only have to remember one single rescue measure – the so-called Heimlich maneuver. It can be used on children from the age of one year and works as follows: The rescuer stands or kneels (depending on the size) behind the child, bends it slightly forward, clenches one hand into a fist and places it between the navel and the lower edge of the child sternum. The fist is grasped with the other hand so that the child is hugged from behind. With the gripping hand, the fist is then pulled vigorously and quickly, viewed from the child’s point of view, backwards and upwards. Repeat this process five times. The idea behind it, as Dehé explains: “Due to the increase in pressure in the chest, the foreign body loosens and is transported out through the mouth.”
Anke Schipp Published/Updated: Recommendations: 27 Franziska Proell Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 12 Lucia Schmidt Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1
The Heimlich maneuver (named after the inventor, an American doctor) should not be used on children under the age of one year. Your head muscles are still too weak to withstand this vigorous movement. If a child under twelve months chokes, the procedure is as follows: “Place the child’s stomach over the adult’s forearm and hold the child’s jaw in place with your hand,” says the Frankfurt doctor. “It stabilizes the head and neck muscles. Then boldly give five smacks between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand and hope that the foreign object will be spit out.” If this is not successful and the child cannot breathe enough or becomes unconscious, the emergency services must be called urgently and resuscitation must be started.