Feeding time provides parents with the chance to bond with their baby, and also gives them a few minutes of peace and quiet.
But a paramedic has warned parents about the dangers of ‘milk choking’, a term otherwise known as aspiration.
This occurs when something accidentally enters the airway tube and travels down to the lungs instead of entering the food tube and travelling down to the stomach.
Former paramedic and first aid expert Nikki Jurcutz explains that this incident normally strikes with liquid - but food, vomit and saliva can also cause aspiration.
The warning comes after a four-month-old baby died in India after choking on breast milk.
Nikki highlighted that it is most likely to happen during the newborn stage, when babies have tiny airways.
The CEO of Tiny Hearts Education added: "They can also have a lot of mucous post-birth.
"Aspiration can cause serious health concerns, such as pneumonia, as the foreign material in the lungs can affect oxygen levels and damage lung tissue."
According to the NHS, aspiration pneumonia may happen after accidentally breathing in something, such a small piece of food.
It is important to note that there is a difference between aspiration and choking, which is when there is something stuck in the airway that is either partially or completely blocking the flow of air in and out.
Whereas, aspiration is when a foreign material in the lungs is affecting oxygen levels and damaging lung tissue, Nikki said.
She explained that little ones will present aspiration with a mild airway obstruction where the child will cough and splutter.
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The foreign material, such as milk or food, will then make its way down to the lungs.
The former paramedic said: "Silent aspiration is also possible where no signs or symptoms are seen at the time of aspiration."
Silent aspiration is common in children who have recently been unwell with respiratory problems, she added.
"Aspiration should be suspected in a child who has recently eaten or had a drink, which is then followed by respiratory distress.”
There are a number of milk choking warning signs to watch out for, these include:
Choking or coughing while feeding
Weak sucking
Voice or breathing that sounds wet after feeding
Signs of respiratory disease
Signs of feeding trouble, including red face, watery eyes, or facial grimaces
Wheezing, whistling and other breathing problems
Fever after feeding
Repeated lung or airway infections
Complaints of food feeling stuck of coming back up
If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, it is advised you call 999.
What you need to do
The first aid expert says parents must encourage their child to cough if they are suffering with a partial obstruction with aspiration.
For young children, you should demonstrate coughing and show them what they need to do.
If they are unable to clear the obstruction you should call 999.
If it's cleared, but your little one is still showing signs then you should call 111 or seek immediate advice from a medical practitioner.
For children who have a severe obstruction with aspiration, you must call 999 immediately.
To remove the obstruction, Nikki explained you need to deliver five back blows, checking the airway after each one.
If the airway is still obstructed, you then need to deliver five chest thrusts, checking the airway after each one.
You should continue this pattern until the obstruction clears. In the event of your child becoming unconscious, you should start CPR.
How to perform CPR on a baby and child
Before beginning CPR, you should ask a helper to call 999 or 112 for emergency help while you start resuscitation, says Dr Lynn Thomas, Medical Director for St John Ambulance.
You should also ask a helper to find and bring a defibrillator if there is one available.
If you are on your own, you need to give one minute of CPR before calling on a speaker phone. You should not leave the child to make a call or look for a defibrillator.
Infants under one year old
What to look for:
The baby isn’t responding
The baby isn’t breathing normally
How to give CPR to a baby (NHS):
Open the infant's airway by placing one hand on their forehead and gently tilting the head back and lifting their chin. Remove any visible obstructions from their mouth and nose.
Place your mouth over the infant's mouth and nose and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth, checking that their chest rises. Give five initial rescue breaths.
Place two fingers in the middle of the infant's chest and push down by 4cm (about 1.5 inches), which is approximately one-third of the chest diameter. The quality (depth) of chest compressions is very important. Use the heel of one hand if you can't achieve a depth of 4cm using the tips of two fingers.
After 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 a minute, give 2 rescue breaths.
Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths until the infant begins to recover or emergency help arrives.
Children over one year old
What to look for:
The child isn’t responding
The child isn’t breathing normally
How to give CPR to a child (NHS):
Open the child's airway by placing one hand on their forehead and gently tilting their head back and lifting the chin. Remove any visible obstructions from their mouth and nose.
Pinch the child's nose. Seal your mouth over their mouth, and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth, checking that their chest rises. Give five initial rescue breaths.
Place the heel of one hand on the centre of the child's chest and push down by 5cm (about two inches), which is approximately one-third of the chest diameter. The quality (depth) of chest compressions is very important. Use two hands if you can't achieve a depth of 5cm using one hand.
After every 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 a minute, give two breaths.
Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until the child begins to recover or emergency help arrives.
Use the defibrillator
If the helper returns with a defibrillator, ask them to switch it on and follow the voice prompts while you continue CPR.
If the child starts becoming responsive such as coughing, opening eyes and starts to breathe normally, put them in the recovery position and monitor their level of response.
In children cardiac arrest is likely to be due to a respiratory cause and so rescue breaths can be critical.
