3 reasons why you need a baby choking/CPR course for starting solids + my favorite one

Baby led weaning, purées, food allergy prevention strategies, high chairs, cup types, meal/snack schedules, healthy relationships with food, blenderized or formula for tube fed babies… WOW. There is a lot to think about when you are getting ready to start solids with your baby.

The ONE thing that I recommend to EVERY parent and caregiver getting ready to feed their baby food for the first time? A CPR and choking intervention course (this is an affiliate link – I share more about that below).

In an ideal world, I’d love for everyone to get certified in-person by a medical organization like the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association (for my readers in the US) or other appropriate certification organization in your area. BUT I recognize that this is not always feasible. Especially if you are wanting to avoid indoor classes as a pregnant person or parent to a newborn. (Keep in mind that only in in-person classes can you truly get CPR certified. Any sort of certificate offered by an online course is simply a fun token of completion.)

For those parents who are choosing to take an online course, then you’re in the right place! As a nutrition PhD and pediatric dietitian, I know the importance of finding a quality course that teaches accurate and inclusive information to new parents. And as a mom, I understand the importance of accessible and practical content that doesn’t take hours to get through.

DISCLOSURE: This blog post contains affiliate links.

Here are 3 reasons that new parents need education on CPR and choking prevention.

1. Babies gag.

And some babies gag a lot. As a new parent, this can be scary. Before my first child started solids, I was fully aware of what to expect with gagging, as well as the physiological importance of the gag reflux. And my heart still leapt from my chest the first time she gagged. For someone who has had no training in the difference between gagging and choking, it’s easy to confuse the two. Assuming your child is choking when they are really gagging can cause a negative experience with food or intervene in a learning opportunity of how to clear their airway on their own (which is a SUPER important skill for babies). And because babies gag frequently, it is also important to understand the difference between gagging and choking — as well as what to do in each situation. Parents who are equipped with how to differentiate gagging and choking will not only know how to recognize an emergency, but they will also know how to recognize (and approach) the developmentally normal situation of babies gagging with trying solid foods.

2. Your attitude during mealtimes sets an example for baby’s emotional state during mealtimes.

Let me first say that this whole blog post is written by a mom with some anxiety and a love of control 😅 If YOU are stressed and anxious and jumpy at mealtimes, baby will know. Your baby is very smart and observant and developing oh-so-important emotional skills. And they feed off of YOUR emotions. We want baby to learn that mealtimes are an enjoyable experience where they can learn and explore their environment (including their food). When we jump out of our seats at every chunk of food they get or limit the foods that they eat out of fear, baby will learn that mealtimes are stressful and tense. Now… I will be the first to tell you that a choking/CPR course or certification does NOT make the anxiety magically disappear. BUT it does give you a sense of security that you have the knowledge of how to handle emergency situations. And that DOES take the edge off a bit.

For those parents/caregivers who are especially nervous about choking with starting solids, I recommend taking a CPR/choking course PLUS taking a few deep breaths and getting into a calm headspace (as much as you can!) before meals. Even a meditation or a quick full body stretch can be super helpful here! Trust me… It really makes a difference.

3. A choking baby is scary. A choking baby without anyone trained to help them is worse.

Most babies won’t choke on food. But some will. And, just like a carseat, knowledge of CPR and choking interventions may just save your child’s life in the event of an emergency. Your knowledge of CPR or choking intervention can literally save your child’s life.

So… I reviewed two of the most popular CPR and choking intervention courses marketed on Instagram. Here are my thoughts 👇

First, a disclaimer. I was gifted both courses (but I did reach out and ask for one of them), and was offered to be an affiliate for both. I will be sharing my affiliate links for the one course that I DO recommend. This means that I get a percentage of the sales if you choose to purchase with my affiliate link.

I have taken several CPR first aid courses during my education and career. These in-person certifications have been required for my clinical jobs and education jobs, so I feel very comfortable with the content. In addition, a knowledge of choking and choking prevention related to food is very important in my career as a pediatric dietitian. I want my clients to have access to high quality information, so I am very particular about which courses I recommend. And because I recommend that ALL parents and caregivers take a CPR and choking intervention course, and COVID is preventing many people from taking an in-person course, I wanted to find an online course that I am excited to recommend.

The course I didn’t love: Thrive Training Institute’s CPR AED for General Public, Babysitters/Nannies, Personal Trainers, & Parents etc.

The team at Thrive Training Institute reached out to me to be an affiliate for their course. I had heard of them because several of my peers on Instagram shared about the course as an affiliate. I agreed to take the Thrive course myself so I could decide if it was something I wanted to recommend to my clients and to YOU 😊

The course was short and straightforward. After the completion of this course, I forwarded some major pieces of feedback to the Thrive team.

The description of the main choking intervention maneuver for infants was incorrect. Choking intervention for an infant involves back blows — forceful hits with the heel of the hand to a particular spot on an infant’s back with the purpose of dislodging an item that is blocking their airway. The Thrive course videos or captions did not provide any explanation of what a back blow is, how it should feel, or how hard it should be. There was simply a video of a back blow. In the PDF manual that was included with the course, an explanation stated that a back blow is a forceful slap with the palm of the hand. This is important because a slap is the INCORRECT maneuver to use, and may not provide enough force to dislodge an object (the whole point of a back blow).
There was no explanation of how to identify choking or oxygen deprivation in a child with dark skin tone. Inside the course, the instructors mentioned that a child may turn blue (aka cyanosis) when they are choking… which is true. However, for children with dark complexions, the blue color may not be noticeable until they have been choking for longer OR not at all. A mention of the fact that noticing a blue color is very difficult for a non-medical professional in children of color would also be appropriate here. It is very important to be inclusive when discussing choking and mention other signs of oxygen deprivation that are noticeable for children of color (such as a color change to the inside or outside of the lips).

Some other concerns that I had with the Thrive course were:

The course did not mention that a high pitched whistle noise is an emergency. Many CPR and choking resources differentiate choking and gaging by saying that choking is silent and gagging is loud. However, when an object is almost fulling obstructing someone’s airway, the air that gets through can make a whistling noise. This is a medical emergency and should be treated like a choking incident. This is a very important exception to the silent vs. loud rule.
There was VERY little information about how to identify choking, as the course focused almost entirely on what to do once you know you are in the presence of a choking or unconscious person.
There was VERY little information about how to prevent choking — which is very important information for new parents.

Overall, the Thrive course was mostly focused on choking intervention and CPR. It had basic information that was mostly correct, with two major and a few minor flaws. Because of points 1-5 above, the Thrive course is not one that I recommend to parents or caregivers.

Of note, I did reach out to the company via email hoping they would address these issues because they are a very popular course. They did respond letting me know that they would send the feedback on to their team and then suggested pursuing an affiliate relationship. I recently checked back in on the course and, with a brief skim through the content. They did remove the forceful slap verbiage from their manual. But there is still no in-depth explanation of what a back blow should feel like or where it should happen. Points 2-5 above are still applicable.

The course I loved: Safe Beginning’s Infant/Child CPR, Choking, and Injury Prevention

I reached out to Holly at Safe Beginnings after my experience with the Thrive CPR/first aid course and requested a free course. And I loved it! I am so excited to have a course that I can recommend to parents who are looking to prepare for starting solids with their baby — or just to better prepare for emergencies.

Here are the reasons I loved the Safe Beginning’s course:

In the first 5 minutes of the course, Holly mentions how to identify distress in a child with a dark skin tone. SO IMPORTANT.
There is a very clear demonstration of what a back blow looks like, including a description of how hard it should be. Back blows need to be firm to help a child in distress — and Holly clearly explains this.
Holly answers several questions that a new parent may have going through the course content. What if I hit too hard during a back blow? What if I press too hard during CPR? What if I suspect a neck injury but I’m worried about choking? She takes a break to address these concerns in addition to going over each scenario and maneuver.
This course provides alternatives of how to coach a non-verbal child through gagging — important for babies and kiddos with special needs.
This course includes injury PREVENTION information in addition to just describing how to do CPR or choking interventions (unlike the Thrive course). For example, she chatted a lot about safety in the kitchen, including knife safety and hot beverages.I love this approach because, although being prepared for an emergency is ideal, PREVENTING an emergency from happening is even better. After watching her course, I identified two things that I can change in my home to make it a safer place for my babies!

I did have one concern about the lack of mentioning that high pitch whistle breathing is a sign of an emergency. I e-mailed Holly and she immediately responded, saying she would update the course with this info. Not only am I super happy with the content, but I am also floored by the customer service and openness to feedback.

As an added bonus, I also went through the Safe Beginnings car seat safety course — which I also loved! I learned some new stuff about car seat safety even though I am 3.5 years and 2 kids deep into this parenting thing. I mention this because Safe Beginnings offers a course bundle, which includes both the CPR, choking, and injury prevention + the car seat course.

Summary

As a pediatric dietitian AND a mom — I recommend that every single parent take a CPR + choking intervention course before feeding their kids. An in-person course that includes a nationally recognized certification is the best, however a high quality online course is also a great option. If a family wants an online course, my go-to is the Safe Beginning’s Infant/Child CPR, Choking, and Injury Prevention course.

Sending love and feeding wins your way,

❤️ Dr. Taylor

For every product review I share, I always share my honest feedback and only recommend products that I actually use and love. Keep in mind that I do get a kickback if you purchase from my affiliate links included in this blog post. If you do not wish to use my links, you can always navigate to the company’s home page and purchase from there.