Peeling the grapes and cutting them into four pieces in length can prevent choking in children under five years of age

The whitening of grapes atthe end of the year and the cutting of grapes in four parts in length can prevent the choking of children under five years of age, as Dr. Ignacio Manrique, coordinator of the Life Support Committee of the Spanish Paediatrics Association (CSV-AEP), points out.

"There is no year when a child does not end up in an emergency for this reason, sometimes with serious or irreversible consequences," says Dr. Manrique, who stresses that "choking can be prevented by taking appropriate measures and learning to act properly in the event of an accident."

He therefore also recommends that the grapes be left without skin or seed, because the skin is slippery and can slip "involuntarily" into the throat.

For greater safety, Manrique has stressed the importance of children being consumed when they are seated and calm, and always under the supervision of an adult, and has also recommended corn semolina gusanites or raisins as a "safe" alternative to grapes.

However, these fruits are not the only danger during the Christmas holidays, when more turrons, nuts, sugar almonds, corn popcorn or sweets are consumed. In the case of the latter, especially hard and round ones, they can completely block a child's airway in a few seconds, as they do not dissolve quickly and easily penetrate the throat.

Therefore, children between the ages of 0 and 3 recommend avoiding the consumption of sweets and remember that the 3-5 age group remains at high risk, even under the supervision of relatives or adults. Over the age of 5, this risk decreases but does not disappear.

How to act in case of choking

If you choke your throat, Dr. Manrique has emphasized things that shouldn't be done, like putting your finger in your mouth to help you pull the object out, which can "push it deeper" and cause injuries; or lifting the child by the feet to help get the jammed object out of the airway, as well as being an "ineffective practice", because  is "dangerous".

Knowing this, he explains how to act. He emphasizes that when the child is conscious and coughs effectively, it is better not to intervene and not to hit his back, because coughing is the natural mechanismfor expelling the object.

In case of consciousness, if cough is ineffective or has difficulty breathing , help must be requested from the people in the area or telephone 112; the mouth must be looked at and the object removed only when accessible; otherwise, five strokes must be applied on the back (between escapes, between outgoing bones under the shoulders) and then five abdominal compressions (Heimlich maneuver). These steps must be repeated until the child breathes well, expels the object or loses consciousness.

In the latter case, in the event of a loss of consciousness, basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation exercises must begin and immediately contact the emergency service. Once the object is removed, the child must be taken to a hospital to rule out injuries or complications.