Prevent the main causes of asphyxiation in children

Suffocation is one of the leading causes of death in infants and young children. There are many causes of asphyxiation and most of them "stalking" everywhere around us. Children are too young to avoid these hazards. So, do not let suffocation take away your child's life, immediately prevent high-risk causes that can cause choking.

In this article, aFamilyToday Health will show you what you can take to prevent the risk of a child suffocating.

1. Children suffocate from drowning

Drowning is one of the possible causes of asphyxiation in children, especially children under 3 years old. Many parents are still subjective and think that drowning can only occur in swimming pools, rivers, lakes or seas. However, the risk of drowning can "stalk" your child even at home. So parents should do the following to prevent children from suffocating:

Do not let children bathe alone: Parents subjective because the water level in the basin / tub is often quite dry, but it is from this subjectivity that leads to many tragic deaths of children. Sometimes, just a tub or a bucket of water can kill a child, especially a child under 3 years old.

For children under 5 years old, you should always keep an eye on them while bathing. Have everything you need ready before entering the bathroom. Fidgeting about things can be distracting, and your baby is at risk for a fall or danger. When your child is able to bathe by himself, teach him how to bathe as well as precautions to ensure the safety of the baby.

Rinse / empty the tub , tub or home aquarium as soon as you shower.

The danger of suffocation can also come from slipping and falling into water containers such as basins or bathtubs. Therefore, you should also take some measures to prevent the child from slipping, such as spreading an extra non-slip foot pads in the bathroom.

Close the bathroom door when not in use. Children love to play with water so sometimes they will go to the bathroom to turn on the water when parents are not paying attention.

2. Children suffocate due to asphyxiation

In addition to asphyxiation from drowning, children can also suffocate from inhalation of toxic gases, CO and gas commonly suffocating children. Since a child's body is still in its development stage, even a small amount of air can be dangerous to breathe in even inhalation. You should note the following points:

For families using gas stoves, you must always remember to lock the gas cylinder valve and lock the stove after you are done. A gas leak can suffocate a child, which can also lead to a fire.

If you are in cold regions that need a heater, always remember to have adequate ventilation. Fireplaces often release CO, a toxic gas that if accumulated in large amounts can cause suffocation, in extreme cases it can lead to death. Make sure the room is ventilated in the room where you install heating devices to ensure that oxygen from the outside can enter the room and CO can be released from the room.

Do not place a charcoal stove in your child's bedroom, especially in too enclosed rooms and poor ventilation. When burned, coal emits a lot of CO, which can be dangerous for your baby.

Turn off all heating devices, gas stoves, and put out the stove fire immediately after using it. Take care not to get too close to these objects because the risk of your child getting burned will be very high.

For families with a car, you absolutely must not let your child sleep in the car alone. Cars emit a huge amount of CO, so even with the door open or with the air-conditioning turned on, your child is at a higher risk of lack of oxygen and suffocation.

3. Children suffocate due to choking of foreign objects

If a child swallows an object, it can cause choking and suffocation. Today there are more and more cases of foreign body asphyxiation, which in turn leads to many tragic deaths in children. For the safety of children, you should follow some notes:

Be careful when feeding foods that can cause choking, such as candy, meat, fruits or nuts. In such cases, you should cut or crush these foods into bite-sized portions to avoid choking.

Do not give small items to children as they tend to put these in their mouths. In some uncontrolled cases, children can swallow them and choke. Keep small objects out of reach of children, for these items, you should store them in containers with lids for storage. Toys with very small details should not be given to your child as they may fall off and they will put in their mouth.

Tell your child not to joke around or laugh out loud while eating, because food can go into the throat when the child smiles, if the food is too big or too much it can cause suffocation. For babies and children still breastfeeding, parents absolutely do not breastfeed / drink while they are sleeping because it can cause choking leading to airway obstruction.

For babies, you should feed them slowly. Do not force the baby to suckle too fast, because during this stage, the baby's reflexes are not fully formed and there is still no way to notify the mother when he is choking.

One item that can be dangerous to children if swallowed is the button battery (small battery). Not only is it choking, but swallowing them in the abdomen can be life threatening in less than 2 hours (because the substances in the battery are dangerous). So, you should pay attention to the following if you have a button battery in your home:

Identify clearly which items use button batteries.

Safety: Please hold or firmly secure the objects containing the battery so that they will not fall off.

Backup: Store unused batteries in a high cabinet and out of reach of children.

Dispose of: Once used, dispose of batteries and their packaging in the safest way. The battery is an item that must be handled with care. You should not dispose of them in the regular trash, but have to take them to recycling sites for disposal.

Handling: If you suspect that your child has swallowed the button battery, take your child immediately to hospital for immediate treatment, do not wait until the baby has dangerous symptoms.

You should learn to give first aid when your child has a foreign object to handle in case of emergency. You can refer to how to give first aid to the child in the article  Learn first aid methods when a child has choking in the neck.

4. Children are choked by an object blocking their nose

In some cases, children can be choked at sleep by objects blocking their nose. This is less common in older children, but more common in babies because the baby's reflexes are still unstable.

For babies and young children, you should let them sleep on their backs, do not let them lie face down on a mattress, towel or pillow. You should not buy things that are too thick for babies such as blankets, sheets, etc. Do not put too many pillows or toys on your child's bed as they can be one of the causes of suffocation while the baby is sleeping.

Make sure the size of the mattress fits the size of the baby's bed or crib. The space between the mattress and the bed can cause the baby's head to become stuck, leading to lack of air.

Make sure the sheets are held firmly so they don't loosen and squeeze the baby's neck or head.

For babies, parents often use a towel to cover their face when going to the street. Please pay attention to choose thin and breathable towels to avoid squash and difficulty breathing for children.

You should not let a child (especially a child under 3 years old) sleep with a parent or other sibling as it can increase the likelihood of asphyxiation, strangulation or sudden infant death (SIDS) . The reason is that while sleeping, people can accidentally swing their arms around the baby's nose or stomach, making it difficult for the baby to breathe. You should let your baby sleep in a crib or crib, but in the same room as their parents.

If you have to let your baby sleep in the same bed with parents, you should not let the baby lie between the father and mother but let the baby lie on one side. Note arrangement of sleeping positions so that parents do not pinch the baby.

5. A child suffocates from neck blockage

You may not have expected it, but many cases of suffocation due to entanglement of the neck still occur and endanger the child's life. Choking situations due to wire entanglement often happen very quickly and cause you to turn your arms out of time, so please prevent possible dangers to ensure your child's safety.

Check all rooms in the house to make sure that there are no curtains or wires of any kind that could be dangerous to children. You should be aware of both electrical cords and floor cords as it can still pose a very high risk of strangling your baby. Instead of using curtain or long ropes, replace them with shorter strings or twisted ropes to avoid tangles in your baby's neck.

Do not place a child's crib, chair, or crib in areas with tangled ropes. You should leave the child's room empty, avoiding any wires around the baby.

Do not place sofas, high chairs, tables, and bookshelves near windows with curtains because young children often like to climb onto furniture to look out the windows, they may slip and get a rope entangled in their necks.

Many people have a habit of letting children wear silver necklaces to "avoid poisonous winds" or other types of jewelry chains that forget that this can also be the cause of your baby's suffocation. If you let your baby wear a necklace, make sure it is wide enough against the baby's neck. Do not do too tight because it can make the baby uncomfortable, nor should it be too wide because the cord can become entangled with other objects, causing the baby to strangle.

Suffocation is considered one of the causes of death in infants and young children. So parents need to always look after the child at all times. Taking some measures that aFamilyToday Health has suggested in the article can also help you minimize the risk of children choking. You should also equip yourself with the basics of first aid when children are suffocated.