This article was co-authored by Harrison Lewis, EMT. Harrison Lewis is a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician in California. He received his NREMT and his CPR/First Aid for Professional Rescuers in 2014. This article has been viewed 209,349 times.

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If you think your toddler might be choking, have someone else call 911 immediately if anyone is around. Otherwise, start the Heimlich maneuver before calling emergency medical services, and do not try to pull the item out of your child’s throat. To perform the Heimlich maneuver, have the child bend over at the waist and place your hand under their chest for support. Using the heel of your other hand, whack the child on the back directly between the shoulder blades 5 times. Then, put your arms around the child from behind, and make a fist with one of your hands directly above the child's navel and below the breastbone. Cover your fist with the other hand and quickly thrust your fists upward into the child's abdomen. Repeat this 4 times or until the object dislodges. For more tips from our Medical co-author, like how to perform CPR on an unconscious child, keep reading!