Child First Aid: 'He went silent. His eyes terrified': Mum's horror as family Easter turns into 'nightmare'

I?t is late in the afternoon on Easter Monday. I'm pacing up and down my living room holding my toddler tight.

Our front door is wide open and my husband has just taken our dog out to the back. Our nine-month-old is ripping a part tower of blocks we had just built together.

It's weirdly quiet and time is going so slow.

Two paramedics rush through the door holding cases of equipment and get straight to it, "So tell us what happened."

Nikolina Kharoufeh with her two children and husband. — That weekend we had been out celebrating Easter as a family. (Supplied)

Just 15 minutes prior, we were in the midst of another typical afternoon at home with the kids. ?We were coming down from the high of Easter Sunday and the endless amount of chocolate our two-year-old had consumed.

Both kids had just woken up from their nap and were due for a snack.

We gave baby Leo one of his adored rice rusks and he was hacking at it, while sitting on the playmat ready for his pre-dinner fun.

My toddler had once again requested what my husband was eating at the time. Cashews.

So we popped a few in his favourite blue snack bowl and he sat next to me on the dining table as I watched him excitedly pick one up after another.

Noah had developed a little sniffle that day and a cough seemed to also be creeping in. ?

I wiped his nose before snot dripped into his bowl.

A few minutes into snack time my eyes were fixated on the TV and my husband had migrated towards the baby who was showing off his new trick - waving.

This regular family moment turned into our worst nightmare in just one second.

Nikolina Kharoufeh's sons Noah and Leo. — I snapped this picture the day before of Noah and his little brother Leo after their Easter Egg Hunt. (Supplied)

Noah ?let out a big cough, and another, and another. He was trying to get the tickle out from the back of his throat. 'He's definitely getting sick,' I thought as I got him to spit out the chewed-up cashews he already had in his mouth.

I thought he had spat it all out by the time he let out another big cough - but he hadn't.

He went silent. Looked up at me with his mouth wide open, his eyes terrified.

"He's choking!" I screamed at my husband, who had already sensed something was wrong and picked him up.

He immediately sat on the edge of our dining bench and laid Noah chest down, elevated over his legs.

?He began the back blows.

'Your postcode?'?, 'Street Address?', 'House Number?'. I was standing in front of Noah already on the phone to the 000 dispatcher. I don't even remember calling.

I don't know how, but I managed to relay every piece of information she asked for. I just remember thinking, stay calm, speak clearly and they will get here quicker.

?"Open the front door," the lady said to me as I watched Noah's face turn purple.

'They will never make it,' I thought. I wanted to scream.

?And then, bang. He spat it out. The tiny piece of cashew that was killing him was at our feet as Noah caught his breath.

"He's stopped choking," I told the ?dispatcher.

"He stopped? Is he breathing? Can you hear him breathe?" she asked and I sensed the tension in her voice change. Both she and I experienced the same sense of relief in that moment.

"Yes, he is breathing. He is sitting on my husband's lap and yes, we can hear him breathing. He spat it out," I told her.

?My husband was in such shock that I could hear his panicked heartbeat in the background.

Nikolina Kharoufeh and her son Noah. — Noah turned two at the end of January. (Supplied)

"They are on the way. Just ensure the door is open and any pets have been taken outside," I listened as I pushed Noah's curls behind his ears, wiped the tears off his cheeks and swept him up in my arms.

My husband leading our confused and anxious pup outside the doggy door.

"Can you hear his breath? She said not to give him any water. Do you think there is any more in there?" my husband and I didn't know what to do with ourselves as we waited for help to arrive.

"Are you okay muffin?" together we leaned over and ?stared at Noah in the face as his eyes finally softened and his fear started to fade away.

We didn't want to let him go.

Nikolina Kharoufeh toddler Noah. — Nikolina's son Noah. (Supplied)

?It wasn't long after that two paramedics walked through the door and began laying out their gear to check over Noah.

I took them through what happened. They seemed calm and focused. I remember thinking how different this meeting would have been if the chocking didn't stop.

"You know you saved his life," the emergency worker looked over and said.

My husband and I just looked at each other in disbelief. ?

I never want to relive that moment again. Not in real life and not in my mind. But I am sharing this harrowing story in the hope that any parent reading this that hasn't completed a baby and child first aid course, enrolls into one now.

Don't spend another minute thinking about it.

Trust me when I say, the things you learn in those short few hours may save your child's life.

And, never EVER give a child under five years old whole nuts. ?

What to do if your child starts choking

Here is a guide to choking from Tiny Hearts Education

Partial Obstruction:

If your child has an effective cough, use gravity and lean them forward. Encourage them to keep coughing. If the obstruction cannot be cleared you must call 000. If they lose their forceful cough use the next technique for a complete obstruction.

Complete Obstruction:

If your child does not have an effective cough you should:

Call 000. Place your child in a head down position �C infant (under 1 year old) across your lap and child (1 �C 8 years old) sitting or standing up Give up to five back blows using the heel of one hand, in between the shoulder blades. Short and sharp. Check the airway between each back blow to see if the obstruction has cleared.

If your child is still choking:

Give up to five chest thrusts using two fingers (one hand for a child), in the middle of the chest between the nipples. Short and sharp. Check the airway between each chest thrust to see if the obstruction has cleared.

If your child is still choking:

Alternate between five back blows and five chest thrusts until the obstruction is cleared (checking the airway to see if it has cleared in between each back blow or chest thrust), paramedics arrive, or until they render unconscious. If they render unconscious you must start CPR.

Note: The obstruction may clear during CPR compressions. If this occurs roll your child on their side and clear the mouth of the foreign object.

To book a Baby and Child First Aid course go to Tiny Hearts Education or CPR Kids. ?

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