What to Do if a Baby Is Choking

A baby who is choking will not be able to cry, make a noise, cough or breathe¹. That silence is the sign to act on. If your baby is coughing or crying, they are still moving air and clearing the blockage themselves; if they cannot make a sound, start first aid at once.

The order is fixed and simple. Hold the baby face down along your thigh, with their head lower than their bottom, and give up to five firm back blows between the shoulder blades¹. If that does not clear it, turn them face up and give up to five chest thrusts with two fingers in the middle of the chest, just below the nipples¹. Alternate five back blows and five chest thrusts, and call 999 if the blockage has not cleared². Never use abdominal thrusts on a baby under one: they could damage internal organs that are fragile and still developing¹.

Keep going until the object comes out, help arrives, or your baby becomes unresponsive. If they become unresponsive, open the airway, check breathing and begin rescue breaths if needed³. The sections below take each step in turn, then cover what babies choke on and how to lower the risk at home.

How to tell a baby is choking and not just coughing

A baby who is choking cannot cry, make noise, cough or breathe¹. St John Ambulance describes the same picture: a baby unable to breathe, cry or cough, and showing signs of distress⁴. Older children may clutch at their chest or neck, but a baby cannot tell you or point, so watch for the silence and the struggle.

Coughing is different, and it matters. A cough means air is still moving and the baby is working the object out. Encourage the cough and keep close watch, but do not start back blows while the cough is effective. The moment the coughing stops and they cannot make a sound, treat it as a severe choke and begin the five back blows.

If your baby goes quiet, limp or floppy, or their skin, lips or tongue turn blue, grey, pale or blotchy, that is an emergency: call 999⁵. The London Ambulance Service lists turning blue, purple or black among the reasons to call 999 for a baby, along with breathing difficulties, grunting noises, pauses in breathing and being unresponsive or floppy⁶.

Five back blows, face down along your thighs

Hold the baby face down along your thigh, with their head lower than their bottom, and hit them firmly on the back between the shoulder blades up to five times¹. The British Red Cross gives the same position: face down along your thigh, head lower than the bottom, up to five firm blows on the back². The head-down angle is not incidental. Babies commonly choke on liquid such as mucus or curdled milk, and keeping the head lower than the bottom helps the liquid drain out, because gravity will help¹.

The blows should be firm enough to dislodge the blockage, but you change the force with the size of the child: be much gentler with a smaller child⁷. A newborn needs far less force than a one year old. The aim is a firm, sharp blow between the shoulder blades, not a gentle pat.

The Resuscitation Council UK's paediatric choking algorithm for 2025 sets out the same sequence for a conscious infant: alternate five back blows, then five chest thrusts⁸. The two steps belong together, and you move from one to the other without a pause if the first does not work.

Five chest thrusts with two fingers on the breastbone

If the back blows do not clear the blockage, turn the baby over so they are facing upwards, place two fingers in the middle of their chest just below the nipples, and push sharply downwards up to five times¹. The NHS describes the same position: lay the baby face up along the length of your thighs, find the breastbone and place two fingers in the middle⁹. St John Ambulance adds that you should support the baby's head as you lay them face up on your lap¹⁰.

Chest thrusts, not abdominal thrusts, are the second step for a baby under one. Abdominal thrusts are used to help choking children and adults only, and using them on a baby could damage their internal organs, which are fragile and still developing¹. This is the single most important difference between helping a baby and helping an older child or adult.

After each set of five, check the mouth and remove any obvious object you can see, but do not sweep blindly with a finger. For a conscious infant, alternate five back blows then five chest thrusts⁹.

Call 999 if the blockage has not cleared, and keep the baby with you

If the blockage has not cleared after back blows and chest thrusts, call 999¹¹. Tell the operator the baby is choking. Keep the baby with you and keep repeating the cycle of five back blows and five chest thrusts until help arrives¹¹. Do not stop to search for anything or leave the room.

If you are on your own, the phone is your second pair of hands. Put it on speakerphone so your hands stay free⁹. The British Red Cross advises that if someone else is with you, get them to call 999 as soon as possible, and after calling, continue rescue breaths and chest compressions until help arrives¹². For a baby who is unresponsive but still breathing, you can cradle them on their side in your arms while you call 999, or put them down on their side if you need to¹³.

Both 999 and 112 reach the emergency services. St John Ambulance tells people to call 999 or 112 for emergency help¹⁴, and the same advice appears in its baby CPR guidance¹⁵. Use whichever you remember.

What babies choke on, and how to lower the risk

Newborn babies can choke on curdled milk, mucus or vomit, and as they get older food or small toys can easily get stuck in their throat¹. Food is the most common thing for babies and toddlers to choke on, and babies can choke on small, sticky or slippery foods¹⁶. Babies and toddlers examine the world by putting things in their mouths, and children are more likely to choke if they slip or trip while eating¹⁷.

Some small objects are just the right size to get stuck in a child's airway: marbles, beads and button batteries are named by the NHS⁹. Keep these well out of reach, and check toys for small parts that could come loose.

• At mealtimes: sit your baby upright and supervised, and avoid small, sticky or slippery foods¹⁶.
• At play: keep marbles, beads and button batteries out of reach⁹.
• Around the home: remember that babies explore by mouthing objects¹⁷.

If your child has swallowed something and you are worried, our guide to what to do if a child swallows pills or chemicals covers button batteries and other swallowed objects. For the wider picture on preventing accidents at home, see Preventing Accidents at Home.

When it is a child over one, not a baby

Help children more than a year old in the same way as adults: give up to five firm blows on the back, reducing the force of the blows for a smaller child². If the back blows do not clear the blockage, give up to five abdominal thrusts: stand behind the child, put your arms around their waist, place a clenched fist between their belly button and the bottom of their chest, and pull sharply inwards and upwards up to five times¹⁴. Check their mouth after every thrust¹⁸.

Call 999 if the blockage does not dislodge, and continue cycles of back blows and abdominal thrusts until it clears, help arrives, or the child becomes unresponsive¹⁸. The Resuscitation Council UK's 2025 algorithm sets out the same alternation for a conscious child: five back blows, then five abdominal thrusts⁸.

The key difference from a baby is the abdominal thrusts, which are safe for a child over one but not for a baby. Our guide to what to do if a child is choking sets out the child sequence in full.

After the object comes out

Once the object is out, keep your baby with you and watch them closely. If they have had chest thrusts, or if they are still struggling to breathe, seek medical advice. Watch for the signs that mean 999: stopping breathing, struggling to breathe, being unconscious, limp and floppy, or skin, lips or tongue that are blue, grey, pale or blotchy⁵.

If your baby becomes unconscious at any stage, open the airway, check breathing and, if necessary, begin rescue breaths¹⁸. Do not leave them alone to sleep unattended straight after a significant choking episode without seeking advice.

For the wider household picture, our First Aid at Home guide covers the basics, and the Baby and Child Kit Checklist helps you keep the right supplies ready.