Here at Dechoker, we talk a lot about fear and peace of mind. Our innovative anti-choking device was designed to help put people at ease in the knowledge that they are prepared in case a child or loved one chokes. But what are some of the other emergencies that parents fear the most?

Common Parental Fears

A private survey conducted in 2018 by A Secure Life identified the following fears among parents in the U.S.:

• 30% of respondents fear their child will be hurt in an accident.
• 25% of respondents fear someone will hurt or attack their child.
• 23% of respondents fear their children won’t feel safe in the world.
• 14% of respondents fear their kids will be kidnapped or abducted.
• 8% of respondents fear their kids will be bullied.

Choking fits into that first category of accidents, which 30% of surveyed parents identified as their top fear. Like other accidents, choking is feared because it is so unpredictable. Even the most vigilant parents who cut their kids’ food into tiny pieces and who never let them play with small toys cannot completely eliminate the risk.

That lingering chance is what makes choking so scary, but we believe peace of mind is possible. In order to ensure your family’s safety — and to put your mind at ease — we invite you take the next steps past fear of choking and into familiarity and preparedness.

Getting Yourself Ready

If we can’t completely prevent choking, we can be ready to treat it if it occurs. First, you should learn what to do if you or someone near you begins to choke.

The American Red Cross recommends a combination of two first-aid treatments for choking victims, and we also would like to recommend a third up-and-coming alternative:

• Abdominal thrusts: Also known as the Heimlich maneuver, this treatment involves wrapping your arms around a choking person’s chest and thrusting inward and upward. This forces air out of the lungs to remove the object blocking the airway.

• Back slaps: If abdominal thrusts are unsuccessful after about five attempts, switch to back slaps. This involves delivering firm blows with the heel of your hand to the choking person’s back between the shoulder blades.

• The Dechoker: We also recommend you educate yourself about The Dechoker, our innovative anti-choking device that has already saved dozens of lives around the world. It uses a suction plunger to dislodge an object from a choking person’s airway, and it’s incredibly easy to use. Learn more here.

Learning these relatively simple treatments can help you feel at ease about this common fear, and more importantly, can ensure your loved ones’ safety should the unthinkable happen.

Getting Your Family Ready

We’ve talked about alleviating your fears as a parent, but we believe true preparedness is a family affair. Kids can also be scared about choking, especially if they’ve seen an incident, and so can grandparents, baby-sitters, teens who are watching over younger siblings and others who are part of your family group.

We believe a frank discussion is the best way to put everyone at ease and to ultimately create a broad safety net. Read our blog post about talking to your family about choking here.