Can my baby choke on milk?

This post was written by Sammy, mum of 4, qualified nurse, and owner of Happy Hearts First Aid. As parents we worry about so many things, it’s practically in our DNA from the moment we conceive. We want to take some of these worries away from you by exploring some of those worrying topics. Here Sammy explores “can my baby choke on milk?”. 

Picture this. You are giving your little bundle of a love a milk feed. For some reason, maybe they take too much in their mouth, they start coughing and spluttering.

Quite understandably, you are struck with panic… “are they choking?”

If this sounds familiar, you are in the right place. Can babies choke on milk? Read on to learn about all the wonderful things that babies do to stop themselves from choking, and how choking is very different to some other things we commonly see.

But before we go any further, it is really important that we have a good understanding of what choking actually is.

Choking is defined as:

The partial or complete blockage of a person’s airway. The casualty is unable to breathe properly, and if they are unable to cough or make a noise, they require help straight away. 

This means that if something is stuck in the airway, or if something is completely covering the airway within the mouth, they will be unable to make a noise. They will be silent. This is a medical emergency and we must intervene immediately to clear the obstruction to allow normal breathing to recommence.

Wow, that was confronting to read! Sorry about that. But let’s go back to our original scenario.

Remember we said that our little bundle of love was coughing and sputtering? It is really important for us, as parents, to know that this coughing and spluttering is a good thing. In fact, it is a great thing. If the person is able to make a noise, they are doing the best they can to try to clear their airway themselves.

Let’s dive a bit deeper, and compare coughing with full- obstruction choking.

The difference between coughing and choking

Have you ever had a glass of water, and some has “gone down the wrong way”? It feels horrible, doesn’t it?

You start coughing and spluttering, and this is enough to help you recover from this unpleasant episode.

What has happened here is that some liquid has managed to go down your airway, but it hasn’t completely covered your whole airway. By coughing, you are using air to propel it up the airway, to enable you to recover. So, even though it doesn’t sound great, coughing is actually good. Read that last sentence again.

So, if someone is coughing, they are doing the best thing to protect their airway.

If it’s your little baby, this can be really confronting to watch. Their cheeks might go a bit red, their eye’s might start watering. They seem distressed. BUT they are making a sound. This is the most important thing. Making a sound means that their airway is not completely covered. When you hear a coughing sound, remember that they are doing all the right things to stop themselves from choking.

So, what would you do if you saw your baby coughing and spluttering up while feeding?

Management of a coughing baby

1. Remember that making a noise (i.e. coughing) is a really good thing
2. Stop the milk feed
3. Sit the baby upright
4. Reassure the baby using your calm voice
5. Do not slap them on the back (more on this below!)
6. Ensure that they completely recovered from the episode (this bit is really important)
7. Recommence the feed, if they are wanting more

Hang on a minute… did number 4 “don’t slap them on the back” confuse you? In the past, this is something we seem to do automatically- someone starts to cough and we start slapping them on the back. This makes us feel like we are really helping them!

But in fact, we now know that slapping someone on the back when they are able to make a noise (in our example, the noise of coughing) is not the right thing to do. By doing this, we might catch them at the wrong point, and the obstruction may be pushed further down the airway. So, you don’t need to slap them on the back. Instead, stay calm (this is important as a baby is so in tune with your feelings and reactions), and if you need to, give them a little rub on the back. Just to clarify, this rub isn’t actually doing anything. But it is encouraging your baby, and it is also making you feel like you are doing something helpful!

What if your baby coughs and splutters a lot?

As a side note, if you feel your baby is coughing and spluttering too frequently, it could be something that needs some further trouble shooting. If you are concerned and want some further advice on this, always chat with your Health Visitor or another medical professional.

As a mum of three and first aid trainer, I am often met by really panicked parents who share similar stories of to what we have just talked through. “My baby choked and started coughing and it was horrible”. And absolutely it is horrible to see your baby coughing. But hopefully, after reading this, you understand that being able to hear that coughing sound is actually a really good thing.

Choking that needs intervention from us is very different. Choking, with a full airway obstruction, is silent. This situation requires us to promptly step in and deliver up to 5 back blows.

First Aid for Babies

If you would like to learn how to manage choking, enrol now in Sammy’s friendly online course Baby First Aid and use coupon TBTBC10 for 10% off.

This blog is the first in a series that Sammy will be providing on infant first aid, it really is such an important topic. We have a whole host of other experts here at TBTBC. Whilst waiting for Sammy’s next enstallment, take a look at Why does my baby have a flat head? written by a children’s physiotherapist, or 3 Questions to Ask Yourself before seeking Baby Sleep Advice written by our resident Sleep Consultant.