The following emergency procedures, as recommended by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association, should be implemented if an infant suddenly cannot breath, cough or make sounds. Rapid transport to a medical facility is urgent if these emergency procedures fail.

1. Lay baby face down, straddling your arm, with the head lower than the chest. Support baby's head with your hand around the jaw and under the chest. Rest your arm on your thigh. Give 4 back blows rapidly between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
2. If the foreign object is not relieved, carefully turn over baby. Place your free hand on the baby's back and sandwich the baby between your hands and arms. One hand supports the chest, neck and jaw, and the other hand supports the back, neck and head.
3. Holding the baby between your hands and arms, turn the baby face up. Rest your arm on your thigh, so the head is lower than the chest.
4. Push on the chest 4 times with your fingertips - one finger-width below the imaginary line between your nipples. Your hand should come in from the side so that your fingertips run up and down the sternum, not across it.
5. If the baby is conscious, keep repeating 4 back blows and 4 chest thrusts until the object is expelled or the baby becomes unconscious.
6. If the baby loses consciousness, immediately call for emergency medical assistance (ambulance, paramedics, etc.). Place the infant back down straddling your arm. Tilt the infant's head back gently, open your mouth wide and make a tight seal around the infant's mouth and nose, then give 2 slow breaths (1 to 1 1/2 seconds each). The proper amount of air to give is just enough to make the infant's chest rise. A puff of air held in the cheeks should be sufficient. If the infant's chest does not rise, try repositioning the head to attempt to rescue breathing a second time. If the infant's chest still does not rise, maneuvers outlined above to remove any obstruction should be repeated until an open airway is achieved or emergency assistance arrives. Check after each series of back blows and chest thrusts for an expelled object in the infant's mouth. If you see an object, remove it with a finger. Don't poke straight in - sweep in from the side. Do not sweep unless you see an object. Repeat until you obtain an open airway.
7. If an open airway is obtained, put your ear close to the infant's mouth and nose. "Look" at the chest and abdomen for movement, "listen" for exhaled air and "feel" for exhaled air flow. If there is no sign of breathing, open your mouth wide and make a tight seal around the mouth and nose of the infant. Give 1 slow breath every 3 seconds. Continue giving breaths until the baby begins breathing on his/her own, or until emergency medical assistance arrives.