In November last year, Megan Howard was babysitting a toddler. She gave the little girl her breakfast, then left the room to use the bathroom leaving the little girl eating a pop tart.

While she was gone, the toddler started choking. But Megan’s Quaker parrot, Willie, raised the alarm by flapping his wings and squawking “Mama! Baby!” over and over until Megan ran back in. She did the Heimlich maneuver and stopped the toddler choking.

Willie recived the Animal Lifesaver Award award from the Denver Red Cross today for saving the little girl.

Well done Willie and Megan for saving the little girl. Although how the parrot knew the little girl was in trouble is beyond me. And because Megan knew about the Heimlich maneuver, she got the food out of the toddler’s throat and saved her from choking.

Perhaps I need a parrot? Well, probably not, and learning how to do the Heimlich maneuver would be much much more useful in an emergency.  Where can you learn how to help a choking baby?

Even if you have taken an adult CPR class, the procedure for helping a choking baby or small child is different for what you would do for an adult, so the best place is at an Infant and Child CPR class approved by either the Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or a hospital.

The American Red Cross offers baby and child CPR courses, you can find you local Red Cross chapter at RedCross.org

The American Heart Association has a directory of other health care and community organizations that offer CPR classes, searchable by your zip code.

The maternity and baby ward of your hospital might also offer infant CPR classes, or have referrals to organizations who offer them.

Here’s a couple of videos to give an idea of what’s involved in first aid for a choking baby, and a choking toddler or small child. Don’t depend on the videos though – the best way to learn is at a CPR class from a trained instructor.

CPSC Focuses On Safety in the Nursery and Around the House for Baby Safety Month
Pillows Pose One of the Greatest Dangers Where Babies Sleep

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? As parents prepare for a new baby with love and care, CPSC urges keeping safety in the mix. One area of great concern for the CPSC is pillow use in cribs. The CPSC is urging all parents to forego putting any kind of pillows in the crib due to the high risk of suffocation and entrapment. The CPSC is aware of at least 47 infant deaths between January 2006 and May 2008 associated with pillow use in the sleeping environment. In the 16 years between January 1992 and May 2008, pillows and cushions have been associated with 531 infant deaths.

?Parents should be especially vigilant when preparing for a new baby,? said Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. ?Babies represent our most precious and vulnerable population.?
Nursery Safety

• To reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation, place baby to sleep on his or her back in a crib that meets current safety standards.
• To prevent suffocation never use a pillow as a mattress for baby to sleep on or to prop baby?s head or neck.
• Infants can strangle to death if their bodies pass through gaps between loose components, broken slats and other parts of the crib and their head and neck become entrapped in the space.
  • Do not use old, broken or modified cribs.
  • Regularly tighten hardware to keep sides firm.
• Infants can suffocate in spaces between the sides of the crib and an ill fitting mattress; never allow a gap larger than two finger widths at any point between the sides of the crib and the mattress.
• Never place a crib near a window with blind or curtain cords; infants can strangle on the cords.

Safety Around the House

• Properly set up play yards according to manufacturers? directions. Only use the mattress provided with the play yard. Do not add extra mattresses, pillows or cushions to the play yard, which can cause a suffocation hazard for infants.
• Look for a toy chest that has a support that will hold the hinged lid open in any position in which it is placed or buy one with a detached lid or doors.
• Small Parts ? For children younger than age three, avoid toys with small parts, which can cause choking.
• Magnets ? For children younger than age eight, avoid building sets with small magnets. If magnets or pieces with magnets are swallowed, serious injuries and/or death can occur.
• Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills and interest level of the intended child. Look for sturdy construction, such as tightly-secured eyes, noses and other potential small parts.
• For all children younger than age eight, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.
• Verify that furniture is stable on its own. For added security, anchor to the floor or attach to a wall.
• Use outlet covers and outlet plates to help prevent electrocution.

CPSC encourages parents to routinely check toys and nursery products against CPSC recall lists and remove recalled products from your home. Sign-up for automatic e-mail recall notifications at www.cpsc.gov

Imaginarium Activity Centers Sold at Toys R Us Recalled Due to Choking Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm NAMEd below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Imaginarium Multi-Sided Activity Centers and Jungle Activity Centers

Units: About 16,400

Importer/Retailer: Toys R Us Inc., of Wayne, N.J.

Manufacturer: Taizhou Orient Toys Company Ltd. Multi-Sided Activity Centers , and Shanghai Cosmos Gift Industry Company Ltd. Jungle Activity Centers , of Shanghai, China.

Hazard: Small parts on the toys can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: Toys ?R? Us has received 12 reports of small parts detaching from activity centers. No injuries have been reported.

Description and Models: This recall involves the Imaginarium Multi-Sided and Jungle activity centers. The multi-sided activity center has moveable block letters, clock face, sliding shapes and gears. The jungle activity centers have peg jumping monkeys, sliding fish, abacus beads, bead mazes and other animal-themed activities. ?Imaginarium? and the NAME of the activity center are printed on the packaging. Item numbers 69042 multi-sided and 69083 jungle are printed on the back of the box, near the bar code.

Sold exclusively at: Toys ?R? Us stores nationwide and www.toysrus.com from August 2007 through February 2008 for between $20 and $50.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the activity centers from children and return the toys to the nearest Toys ?R? Us for a refund or store credit. Consumers can go to http://www.toysrus.com/safety/safetyFAQ.cfm for more information.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Toys ?R? Us at 800 869-7787 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, or visit the firm?s Web site at www.toysrus.com

Infantino Recalls Infant Rattles Due to Choking Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Infantino Lamb Grabby Rattles?

Units: About 2,000

Manufacturer: Infantino LLC, of San Diego, Calif.

Hazard: The tail-piece on the rattles can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: Infantino has received eight reports of the tail piece on the rattle detaching. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recalled Infantino Lamb Grabby Rattles? are shaped like a lamb with an Infantino elliptical-shaped logo stamped on the front right foot of the lamb. Only rattles with date code 0907 printed on the back of the left ear of the lamb are included in the recall. The production batch code is printed in a dial format with the year in the middle of a circle and an arrow pointing to the number on the circle that indicates the month. Rattles that do not have a date code are not included in the recall.

Sold at: Wal-Mart, Babies ?R? Us and other specialty stores nationwide from September 2007 through February 2008 for between $3 and $4.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from young children and contact Infantino for a replacement rattle or a product of equal value.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Infantino toll-free at (888) 808-3111 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT or visit the firm?s Web site at service.infantino.com

My son has an incredibly strong gag reflex. Smells, certain textures or even pressure on his tongue cause him to gag.

He’s almost a year old now and still isn’t able to tolerate anything chunkier than stage 2 baby food. I can’t even imagine trying him on table food!

While the doctor assured me that I shouldn’t worry, I did. Then, I discovered the Baby Safe Feeder, which I have found is helping with my son’s eating issues. The feeder is basically a handle with a mesh bag attached.

You can put table food inside the mesh bag and baby can practice chewing skills without the worry of choking. You can also fill it with ice or frozen juice and use as a teether.

The product can be used with children ages 5 months to 2 years old, and is also dishwasher safe. While researching the product, I also found out that it was designed by a father who’s child had a horrible choking episode. What a clever dad!

On Friday, our son started choking and had trouble breathing. When my husband and I couldn’t help him(using our basic layman first aid skills), I called 911 for help.

Incredibly, instead of an operator, I got a recorded message which stated that all lines were busy and that I should hold on the line until an operator was available to help me.

I have no clue how long I was actually on hold, but it seemed like an eternity until I got through to an operator and the ambulance was dispatched to our house. My son was able to recover at home, but they did take him to the hospital in the ambulance to get him checked out.

After the drama died down, I found out that a city worker had accidentally cut the 911 lines, and they were re-routing calls. Also, due to bad weather and numerous traffic accidents, the system was overwhelmed with a high call volume.

What are the chances of something like this happening? I assume that they are very, very rare, but it does happen. I am relaying my experience here not to frighten anyone, but just to make you think.

Do you have an “emergency game plan”? Do you know how to get to the hospitals in your area and their specialties? Do you have a list of people you can call on if you would need help in an emergency–for example, a neighbor to watch your older children while you tend to the baby? Do you know basic first aid? Have you taken a course in CPR?

Of course, we all hope and pray that the day will never come when we actually need to put “the plan” into motion, but just in case, isn’t it a good thing to be prepared?

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.Name of Product: Heart and Car Sterling Silver Teethers

Units: About 200

Importer: Elegant Baby and Baby Needs Inc., of Burlington, N.C.

Manufacturer: Angel Ortiz and Fracionamiento Lomas De Taxco S/N, of Mexico

Hazard: The hearts and cars on the teethers can break off, posing a choking hazard to infants.

Incidents/Injuries: Elegant Baby has received one report of a baby mouthing the heart when it broke off the teether and became lodged in his mouth.

Description: The sterling silver teethers are circle shaped with either a heart or car in the center. The teethers have beads inside. The teethers measure two inches in diameter.

Sold at: Independent infant clothing boutiques nationwide from February 2005 through September 2006 for about $50.

Manufactured in: Mexico

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled teethers away from infants and contact the firm for instructions on returning the teethers for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Elegant Baby at (800) 334-5321 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, or visit the firm?s Web site at www.elegantbaby.com

Teething Rings Recalled by Empire Silver Due to Choking Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Sterling Silver Teething Rings

Units: About 1,000

Manufacturer: Empire Silver Company, of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Hazard: The silver ball that holds the ring in place can separate and release the beads inside. This poses a choking and aspiration hazard to infants.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recalled sterling silver teething rings were sold in three styles: single ring with ball, single ring with heart and ball, and three rings with ball. The hollow ring has small beads inside that make a rattling sound and a ball soldered between the rings.

Sold at: Independent jewelry, gift, specialty and department stores nationwide during November 2007 for between $50 and $120.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the teething rings from infants and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund or replacement.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Empire Silver Company at (800) 255-9475 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the company?s Web site at www.empiresilver.com