The ‘Squish Test’ Could Save Your Baby From Choking

A former paramedic has shared a one-second trick to minimize the risk of your baby choking on a piece of food.

The video was posted by a child safety organization called Tiny Hearts Education.

In the reel, they demonstrated that if you just put your index finger and thumb together to squish a piece of food, you can tell whether or not it’s safe for your baby.

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If the food you’re holding isn’t able to be squished in between your fingers, then it’s not safe for your baby to chew – and could be a potential choking hazard.

“If you can’t squish it, your baby can’t chew it,” states the social post!

In the clip, they showed their technique on a few different foods. They were able to squish a banana, a piece of avocado, a slice of cooked apple and a cooked carrot.

However, they were not able to squish a piece of raw carrot or a piece of raw apple – meaning that those didn’t pass the squish test.

“Foods that are round, hard, slippery and the size of an airway = increase the risk of choking,” they wrote in the caption of the post.

The squish test helps you identify if the food is too hard so you can modify it to make it softer and safer.

HOW TO PREVENT CHOKING

Experts recommend that parents or caretakers cut children’s food into small pieces to help prevent the risk of choking.

They also have guidance that includes not leaving a child unattended while they eat, not eating while walking or in a car and offering plenty of liquids at mealtime.

Some signs of choking can include the child having a “bluish skin colour,” trouble breathing, an inability to make much sound or loss of consciousness.