Survival guides · First Aid & Health

Choking — Infant

ACT NOWA baby under 1 can't cry, cough or breathe. Never use abdominal thrusts on an infant.

1. Hold them face down

   • Face down along your forearm, your hand supporting the jaw and head.
   • Rest your forearm on your thigh.
   • Head lower than the chest.
   • Too big for one arm? Face down across your lap, head low.

2. Give 5 back blows

   • Heel of your free hand: 5 firm blows between the shoulder blades.
   • Keep supporting the head and neck.

3. Give 5 chest thrusts

   • Turn them face up on your forearm, supporting the head.
   • Heel of one hand on the center of the breastbone, just below the nipple line.
   • 5 quick thrusts, about 1½ inches deep — slower and sharper than CPR.
   Why

   The two-finger method was dropped in 2025 — it rarely pushes deep enough.

4. Repeat, or start CPR

   • Keep alternating 5 back blows, 5 chest thrusts until it comes out.
   • Goes limp? Start infant CPR (30 pushes, 2 breaths). Get someone calling 911 if there's service.
   • No signal at all? Have someone dial 911 anyway — iPhone 14 and newer offer to text 911 by satellite. They'll need to be outside, clear view of the sky.
   • Look in the mouth before each breath. See it? Take it out.
   • Never sweep blindly with a finger.

Sources: American Heart Association (2025 Guidelines for CPR and ECC) · American Red Cross First Aid

General information to help in an emergency — not a substitute for training or professional care.