Children are very curious. Toddlers are extremely curious as they explore their environment. They get into everything: cupboards, closets, boxes, and so on. They can get into everything in your home, finding small objects that they often put in their mouths. Is your home free of these kinds of choking hazards?

*A good rule of thumb is that if it fits in a child's mouth, it is possible to choke on it.

The following will help you eliminate or reduce choking hazards in your home:

1. Vaccuum often. Toddlers often pick up crumbs or bits of fluff off the floor and put them in their mouth.

2. Check toys often for chipped or broken parts. This includes stuffed animals with plastic eyes or buttons that may become loose. Discard all broken toys.

3. Make sure all snaps and buttons are securely attached to your child's clothing. Loose buttons often find their way into a baby's mouth.

4. Keep balloons away from small children. Uninflated or broken balloons can get caught in a child's throat.

5. Keep Christmas decorations away from small children as well. This includes tinsel which is very dificult to remove if a child puts it in his/her mouth.

6. Check pacifiers and bottle nipples often. Discard ones that have swelled or appear to have cracks in them. To check for cracks that are not immediately visible, pinch the ends of the nipples.

7. Keep coins away from small children. School age children have also been known to swallow and/or choke on coins.

8. School age children sometimes have a habit of keeping the cap of a pen in their mouth while they write. Discourage this habit.

9. Keep all small toys out of reach of young children.

Food items can also be a choking hazard if proper precautions are not taken. The following are some tips to help prevent children from choking on food.

1. Before introducing solid foods or finger foods to your baby, check with your pediatrician to see if your child is ready for it.

2. For toddlers, cut food into small, bite size pieces. Some babies have a tendency to cram everything into their mouths at once, so it may be necessary to give them the pieces one at a time.

3. Avoid giving your child raw vegetables before four years of age as small pieces can break off while they are eating them.

4. Avoid peanuts, hard candies, and gum before four years of age.

5. Babies who have just started to eat finger foods should not eat poultry unless the skin and bones are removed.

6. Children should always be seated and supervised while eating.

Even if you do all you can to prevent choking, it may happen that your child or another child close to you will choke on something....let's hope that it never happens, but in case it does here is what you should do:

1. If your child is coughing, and seems to still be able to breathe, encourage him/her to cough. Never slap a child on the back as this could cause the item to be lodged further in the airway.

2. If your child is making wheezing sounds and is not able to cough, perform the Heimlich Manouvre (Find out where you can learn it in your community..it is well worth the effort!)

 3. If you are able to get the object out of your child's airway, take him/her to the hospital just to make sure everything is okay. (Sometimes the throat may be scratched from the object or the abdomen may be bruised due to the Heimlich Manouvre)

Keep your child safe. Follow these tips and use good common sense. The preceding tips are only a deterrent that may prevent your child from obtaining items that might cause choking. Always keep a close eye on your child. A watchful parent is the best at preventing a child from choking.