Choking First Aid

Would you know what to do if someone was choking?

Choking can happen to anyone, at any time but it’s most common in young children and older adults. Most of us have experienced a mild choking incident ourselves, but if someone near you was seriously choking, would you know what to do?

Understanding Choking Risks

If you've spent time around babies and toddlers, you’ll know that they love to explore the world by putting anything and everything into their mouths. It’s a natural part of development, helping them learn about shape, size, and texture - but it also introduces a significant choking risk.

Worryingly, some surveys suggest that many parents wouldn’t know how to respond if their child started choking. This lack of knowledge could turn a preventable incident into a life-threatening emergency.

As we age, changes in our bodies and symptoms of some chronic illnesses can increase the risk of a choking incident occuring, so knowing what to do is very important.

What Is Choking?

Choking occurs when something becomes lodged in the airway, blocking the normal flow of air to the lungs. This can cause the airway muscles to spasm, making it difficult or impossible to breathe.

There are two types of choking to be aware of:

Mild (Partial) Choking

• The airway is partially blocked.
• The person may be able to speak, cough, or breathe.

Severe (Complete) Choking

• The airway is fully blocked.
• The person will not be able to cough, speak, or breathe.

First Aid for Choking

If someone is choking, quick and confident action is key.

1. If the casualty is able to breathe (mild choking), encourage them to stay calm and to keep coughing — this is the body’s natural way of trying to clear the obstruction.
2. If the casualty is unable to breathe (severe choking), or coughing does not dislodge the obstruction, call for emergency help immediately. 

A child’s body is more fragile than that of an adult so the call handler will guide you to one of the steps below, depending on the age of your casualty.

Back blows – the technique for delivering back blows depends on the age of the casualty.

Abdominal thrusts – again, the technique for delivering abdominal thrusts depends on the age of the casualty

The encircling method – 2026 guidelines from the Health and Safety Executive (H.S.E.) and Resuscitation Council UK now recommend that chest thrusts are carried out on infants under the age of one using the encircling method. 

 3. If the casualty stops breathing, perform CPR

The Health and Safety Executive and Resuscitation Council have also updated CPR techniques for infants under the age of one and are now recommending that the encircling method is used.

Learn These Life-Saving Skills with Help! First Aid Training

At Help! First Aid Training, we believe that knowledge is power but there is no real substitute for confidence-building, practical experience

That’s why our courses include hands-on, practical training with experienced, qualified instructors who are there to support and guide you — no boring lectures here!

We cover choking procedures thoroughly in the following courses:

• First Aid at Work
• Re-qualification First Aid at Work
• Paediatric First Aid

You’ll leave feeling confident and ready to act in a first aid emergency — whether at work, at home, or out in public.

Book Your Training Today

Want to learn more or book a course? We’d love to hear from you!

We run regular open courses at our Shildon Business Centre in County Durham, and we can also deliver onsite training at your location. We cover Newcastle to Newton Aycliffe, Darlington to Durham, Hartlepool to Houghton le Spring and everywhere in between.

 📧 Email: info@helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk
🌐 Website: www.helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk

📞 Call us: 01388 417303