The coordinator of the Life Support Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CSV-AEP), Dr. Ignacio Manrique, has emphasized that peeling grapes and cutting them into four pieces lengthwise can prevent choking in children under 5 years old during New Year’s Eve celebrations, a time when the risk of asphyxiation, one of the main causes of infant mortality, increases.
“Every year, some child ends up in the emergency room for this reason, sometimes with serious or even fatal consequences,” said Dr. Manrique, who stressed that “choking can be prevented by taking the appropriate measures and learning how to act correctly if an episode occurs.”
For this reason, he also recommended removing the skin and seeds from the grapes, as the skin is slippery and can “accidentally” slide down the throat.
For greater safety, Manrique highlighted the importance of the child consuming them while sitting down and calmly, and always under adult supervision; in addition, he recommended corn puffs or raisins as “safe” alternatives to grapes.
However, these fruits are not the only danger during the Christmas holidays, a period in which more nougat, nuts, sugared almonds, popcorn, and candies are also consumed. In the case of the latter, especially hard, round candies, they can completely block a child’s airway in seconds, as they do not dissolve quickly and fit easily in the throat.
For this reason, the CSV-AEP has recommended avoiding the consumption of candies in children between 0 and 3 years old. The 3 to 5-year-old group still has a high risk even with supervision by family members or adults. Above 5 years of age, this risk decreases but does not disappear. HOW TO RESPOND TO CHOKING
In the event of choking, Dr. Manrique has debunked some common myths, such as putting a finger in the mouth to help remove the object, which “can even push it further down” and cause injuries; or lifting the child by the feet to help the foreign object come out of the airway, another “ineffective and dangerous practice.”
He emphasized that when the child is conscious and coughing effectively, it is best not to intervene or give back blows, as coughing is the natural mechanism for expelling the object.
If the child is conscious but has an ineffective cough or difficulty breathing, you should ask for help from those around you or call 112 (the emergency number); look in the mouth and remove the foreign object if it is accessible; and then perform five back blows (between the shoulder blades) followed by five abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver). These steps should be repeated until the child breathes properly, expels the object, or loses consciousness.
If the child loses consciousness, basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be started immediately, and emergency services should be contacted. Even after the object is expelled, the child should still be taken to the hospital to rule out possible injuries or complications.
