Pop Quiz: How Can You Prevent Choking in Children

Posted on February 6, 2013 by admin | in Nanny Websites

1.) What is the most common cause of non-fatal choking incidents among young children?
A)   Food
B)   Toys
C)   Household Items
D)   Office Supplies
2.) When serving hot dogs to young children, how should they be sliced to best prevent the possibility of choking?
A)   Sliced into “coins”
B)   Cut length-wise and then sliced into “half-moons”
C)   Shredded
D)   It doesn’t matter; hot dogs are soft enough that they don’t present a choking hazard
3.) You’re in a hurry and your toddler is still having lunch. How do you handle the situation?
A)   Rush him to finish so you can get on the road
B)   Leave him to eat while you get ready
C)   Give him the food to eat in the car on the way to your destination
D)   Make it known that you’re running late and wait for your child to finish eating at a relaxed, unhurried pace
4.) You’re at the park and a balloon vendor offers your child a helium balloon. Your child is entranced with it, so you make the purchase. How do you proceed?
A)   Treat it like any other toy, letting him take it to his room to play privately
B)   Play with the balloon together
C)   Supervise him as he plays, then take the balloon away when he’s lost interest
D)   Make a production of letting the balloon go together
5.) You want your child to have healthy eating habits, so you avoid candies and processed sugars in favor of fruit. Which of these fruits poses the greatest choking risk?
A)   Sliced apples
B)   Orange segments
C)   Whole grapes
D)   Sliced peaches
6.) When is it safe to introduce hard, smooth foods like peanuts and raw vegetables into a child’s diet?
A)   As soon as he has teeth
B)   When he’s mastered the motion of lifting food to his mouth himself
C)   By the age of two
D)   Four years of age or older
7.) Your toddler wants nothing more than to play in his older brother’s room, but there are toys that have small pieces and aren’t age-appropriate. What do you do?
A)   Let him play with his brother, trusting the older child to monitor the situation
B)   Insist that the door stay open while they play together
C)   Help your older child “baby-proof” his room, putting small pieces away
D)   Offer to play with your children so that your older child isn’t solely responsible for his little brother’s safety
8.) Your child is running through the house and playing, and wants a snack. What is the safest way to handle the situation?
A)   Give him a snack so that he continues to enjoy himself
B)   Tell him that he can only have a snack if he takes a break from playing to eat it
C)   Prepare the snack for him and watch him while he eats and plays
D)   Ignore his requests in hopes that he’ll become distracted
9.) You’re at the grocery store with your toddler when he spots a vending machine full of tiny toys. He desperately wants to buy one of these toys for himself; how do you handle the situation?
A)   Give him a quarter so he can buy the toy for himself without a second thought
B)   Redirect his attention to get away from the vending machine
C)   Let him buy the toy, under the condition that he will surrender it if it’s too small and unsafe
D)   Ignore his pleas and leave when he has a tantrum
Answers:
1.) A. Food is the most common cause of non-fatal choking incidents among young children.
2.) B. Hot dogs are a common choking hazard, and are safest when served to children after being cut both length-wise and width-wise.
3.) D. A child who is feeling rushed to eat is more likely to choke because his chewing and swallowing skills are still developing.
4.) C. Balloons pieces are the leading non-food cause of choking incidents among children.
5.) C. Whole grapes are smooth and round and can easily slip into a child’s throat to obstruct his airways.
6.) D. Kids’ ability to chew in a grinding motion doesn’t develop properly until around four years of age.
7.) D. Your older child may not have the CPR skills or the emotional maturity to use them in an emergency choking situation, therefore he shouldn’t be completely responsible for keeping his younger sibling safe.
8.) B. Running, jumping and other physical activity can increase the likelihood of your child choking on the food he’s eating.
9.) B. The toys in a vending machine have to be small in order to fit through the mechanisms of the machine, and are not safe for young children.