About a week and a half ago my friend Leslie told me that she had to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on her 4 year old boy after he choked on a grape.
Her story sent a chill through me. Isn’t that something you hope you NEVER have to do? What if someone starts to choke in your presence and you don’t know what to do? What if you attempt the Heimlich and it doesn’t work?
That lead us to a discussion on grapes. I’d stopped cutting grapes for my kids a long time ago. Heck, previously, I would have picked a small cluster of grapes for each kid to eat by himself; and if I was doing household chores, I would have even left the room without a second thought.
I went back to cutting grapes for my kids.
Last Saturday night Josh and I were sitting around the kitchen table, snacking. I was helping myself to grapes. I was giving Jett a few grapes here and there, uncut. He must have grabbed a few and all of a sudden, he gasped and couldn’t swallow. It was loud and Josh and I knew something was wrong right away.
I immediately stood up, wrapped my arms around Jett from behind, made a fist and gave him a quick upward thrust just below his rib cage.
Instantly, the grapes in different stages of being chewed, spewed out of his mouth onto the floor. It even looked like there was some partially digested food he’d eaten earlier in the mess that he spit up.
It was easy. The whole ordeal didn’t even last 5 seconds. It would have not been my first instinct had Leslie not shared her experience with me. I think I would have tried to reach into Jett’s mouth first.
I’m so thankful Leslie shared her story with me and now I’m sharing our stories with you. Keep it fresh in your mind and if you’re ever in a situation to react, you’ll know just what to do.
Jessie, little kids choking just terrifies me. I am afraid of them eating hunks of bananas or hard candy, anything that could cause them to choke.. I wonder if I could have done what you did, with the Heimlich maneuver. Thank goodness you were right there, and thank goodness you are going back to cutting up the grapes.
man! i am like you, haven’t cut grapes in a long time. and i too give her a bunch still on the stem. it’s nice to have that fresh in your mind. i’ve been certified several times in first aid and cpr but i would love a refresher course. one given by a professional, not one given by my child. i’m glad everything turned out okay. it’s always so scary to think of that happening. sounds like you handled it like a pro.