Choking on Candy

When Grumpy was just a little guy, we went on vacation to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

One night, my mom gave some hard candy to Grumpy to give the rambunctious child something to do. He sucked on it for a little while and then proceeded to choke on the dang thing.

This was a life-threatening kind of choke. The kid couldn't breathe. I just sat there in shock, but my mother immediately grabbed him, bent him over her lap, and slapped him on the back. The piece of candy promptly fell out. She told me she had just finished a CPR class and that's how she knew what to do.

To this day, I joke with her that she almost killed him and then saved his life.

That day became an immediate and profound impression on me. It was something that gave me the knowledge to deal with a very scary situation years later.

My fourth child, Happy, was around a year old when he picked up a penny off the floor and popped it in his mouth. We forever have stray pennies that I am constantly picking up. Whenever I spot one, I sound like a grouchy pirate yelling, "Aargh!" as I bend down to pick it up and dispense with it.

Of course, the child started choking which brought my attention to him. I then did something that you should never do- I stuck my finger in his mouth in order to get the penny out. The penny only slid back further.

I began to panic when the past flashed before my eyes. I grabbed Happy, bent him over my lap, and slapped his back. The penny fell out and he stopped choking.

The relief. Oh, the relief.

My WFMW tip is to take a CPR class. If not, remember this tip. It could save your baby's life.

For more WFMW tips, go to Rocks In My Dryer.