Signs a child is choking include coughing or inability to cough, grabbing at or pointing to their throat, gagging, noisy breathing, distress, breathing difficulty, no sounds, paleness, changed face or lip colour, and loss of consciousness.

If a child shows signs of choking, stay calm. Encourage the child to cough to clear the blockage. If it doesn’t clear or the child can’t cough properly, stay with them and phone 000 immediately. Follow the steps to clear a blockage, shown next.

Bend the child forward. With the heel of your hand, give a firm back blow between the shoulder blades. Give up to 5 blows. Look in the child’s mouth between each blow to check whether the blockage has cleared. If it hasn’t cleared, try chest thrusts.

Put one hand in the middle of the child’s back and the heel of your other hand on their chest. Do 5 chest thrusts – thrust upwards and inwards on the child’s chest. Look in the child’s mouth between each thrust to check whether the blockage has cleared.

If the child is still choking, alternate 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until emergency help arrives. If the child becomes unconscious, start child CPR.

Always follow the age recommendations on toys. Avoid toys with small parts, breakable parts, brittle surfaces or button batteries. Check toys for exposed stuffing and loose screws and buttons.

Get your child to sit while eating. Encourage your child to chew and swallow properly.

Your child is more likely to choke if they eat while lying down, running around or playing.