5 Tips for Talking to Your Child’s Babysitter about Choking

Leaving the kids at home with a babysitter can be a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, you’re relieved to have an evening out, doing something fun with a spouse or friends. On the other, you may feel guilty or worried about not being there if your kids need you, especially if an emergency such as choking happens.

We believe the best way to help you feel at ease and to enjoy a well-deserved night off is to be prepared. Here, we share our best tips for talking to your babysitter about kids choking. Whether you’ve got a relative coming over to watch the kids or you’ve hired a trusted teen, this is a conversation worth having!

1. Talk about household choking hazards.

Your family might be in the good habit of picking up little items like coins, pen caps and small toys, but it’s a good idea to remind the babysitter, too. If your baby or toddler is at that stage where they like to put everything in their mouths, this is particularly important. Check out this blog post on the top choking hazards in the home and share them with your babysitter.

2. Give some guidelines on food prep.

It’s important to keep an eye out for household items, but the top choking causes for kids are different foods. If your babysitter will be providing snacks or a meal while you’re out of the house, you should emphasize to them how important food prep can be in preventing choking. Popular foods like hot dogs, grapes and candy have the highest choking risk, so they should be cut into very small bites. Share this blog post with your babysitter, and consider preparing safe snacks and meals beforehand and putting them in the fridge for your babysitter to get out when the time comes.

3. Establish safe eating habits.

Choking risks increase when kids eat while running around the house or while lying down. Ask your babysitter to only give food to the kids while they sit together at the table. Not only does this make the eating process itself safer, but it also helps the babysitter supervise. There shouldn’t be any concern about a child choking in another room if all eating happens together at the table.

4. Teach them about first-aid techniques like the Dechoker.

Unfortunately, no matter how well we try to prevent choking, the risk is still there, and that’s why we need to talk about first-aid treatments. Check out this blog post on what to do if your baby or child is choking and pass the information along to your babysitter. It’s important that they first determine whether the child is truly choking, rather than just coughing or gagging, and then take appropriate action quickly. If your family has our innovative Dechoker device, show your babysitter where it is and watch this demonstration video together.

5. Reassure them.

These kinds of conversations can be scary, particularly if your babysitter is a younger person. But preparation and planning can be reassuring. Talking openly can help your babysitter feel more confident about what to do in an emergency, not to mention put your own mind at ease so you can enjoy an evening out. And of course, remind your babysitter that you are always just a cellphone call away.