What to do when a child is choking

One of the most frequent concerns for parents is what to do if their child chokes.  Choking is frightening, but rarely fatal.

• Babies and young children can choke on anything that can fit through a loo roll. To prevent choking, keep small objects out of reach, cut up food into very small pieces and supervise children while they're eating, especially if they're under five years old.
• If a child shows signs of choking, stay calm and ask them to cough to help remove the object. If this doesn't work, follow the steps below to clear a blockage.

Clearing a blockage - babies under 1 year

First look in the baby's mouth and if there is something obvious in the mouth, remove it with finger tips. DO NOT put your fingers down a baby ... Read more

My 2 year old son fell yesterday, bumping his head.  He cried, was sick and a short time later curled up on the sofa and went to sleep. I was really scared and took him to the doctor to be checked over. Please tell me how I should deal with head injuries.                                                              

Children often bang their heads and it is difficult to tell whether it is serious or not. Fortunately, most head injuries affect the scalp only, which is usually more frightening than life-threatening as head injuries bleed an awful lot.

Call an ambulance:

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