Community Operations
Consumer Affairs Tip Sheets
Children's Choking Hazards
In 1996, according to CHIRPP (Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting Program), of 38 Canadians aged 14 years and under, 13 died by suffocation, 3 choked on chunks of food and other foreign objects, 8 children died of hanging in cribs, 2 suffocated from bags and 12 died from unintentional hangings ( i.e. playground equipment).
Typically, children choke on foods they should never have been given in the first place. They will gulp down something they cannot swallow and it gets stuck in their throats. Sometimes, they might inhale something deeper into their breathing passages, which is even worse.
Among other items, raw carrots and peanuts have been singled out. Peanuts are hard, slippery and do not dissolve. They are just about the right size to block a child's windpipe. Popcorn is another dangerous food which should be denied to small children.
A 1984 study in Baltimore found that hot dogs, candies and grapes accounted for about 40 per cent of the 103 choking deaths of American children under the age of nine.
The common hot dog was involved in 17 percent of all choking deaths. A hot dog makes a perfect plug for a child's airway. It is the right size and is spongy and pliable so it bends to conform to the shape of the windpipe.
Keeping these types of foods away from children under age three is a good step to avoiding choking deaths. However, food is by no means the only thing that kids will swallow. Toronto's Sick Children's Hospital has a display case containing safety pins, buttons, pompoms, nails, small plastic toys and erasers, all of which have been removed from children's airways or throats.
Remember these safety tips to keep choking hazards away from from your child:
- Keep the floor clear of small, easy-to-swallow objects. A neat house is safer.
- Take toys out of the crib when your child is asleep. If the baby wakes up and wants a toy, you will hear about it.
- Never leave a baby alone when feeding because a propped-up bottle could easily block the child's airway. The child could choke on "spit-up" milk if not noticed by guardians.
- Never tie a pacifier with long strings or ribbons around a child's neck.
- Discard or store items such as loose string, plastic bags and wrappers out of a small child's reach.
- Avoid dressing your child in clothes with ribbons or tie strings. Also watch out for knitted pompoms which can be pulled off and swallowed.
- Don't use long curtain "pulls" for operating curtains or blinds. Your child could get entangled in the strings and strangle.
For more information, call collect or e-mail our Consumer Affairs Officer at MACA headquarters in Yellowknife at: (867) 873-7125.