Kelowna First Aid 250.878.6690 www.kelownafirstaid.com

When A Child Needs Help

When a child is choking, it means that an object — usually food or a toy — is lodged in the trachea (the airway) and is keeping air from flowing normally into or out of the lungs.

The trachea is usually protected by a small flap of cartilage called the epiglottis. The trachea and the esophagus share an opening at the back of the throat, and the epiglottis acts like a lid, snapping shut over the trachea each time a person swallows. It allows food to pass down the esophagus and prevents it from going down the trachea.