“A” is for AIRWAY

An infant may to take extremely shallow and rapid breaths, so carefully look, listen and feel for normal breathing. If you cannot detect any signs of breathing, the tongue or a foreign object may be obstructing the airway. Although the head tilt/chin lift technique is similar to adults and children, when clearing an infant’s airway it’s important not to tilt the head too far back as an infant’s airway is extremely narrow and overextending the neck may actually close off the air passage. Tilt the head back into what is sometimes known as the “sniffer’s position” – far enough to make the infant look as if he is sniffing – which will shift his tongue away from the airway, and if necessary, sweep away any foreign matter. If the child is still not breathing after the airway has been cleared, assist him in breathing.