AN eight-year-old girl saved the life of her baby sister after she spotted her choking on a dummy.

Caroline Bleakley noticed two-year-old Natasha Winstanley was going blue in the face and was struggling to breathe.

She slapped the toddler -- who had swallowed her dummy -- several times on the back.

The youngster then coughed up the dummy.

Today their mother Michelle Winstanley, aged 27, of Car Bank Crescent, Atherton, praised her daughter's actions and warned other parents about the dangers of youngsters choking on dummies.

She said: "Caroline saved Natasha's life. She is a real heroine. I can't praise her enough for what she has done. If she hadn't reacted so quickly, Natasha would have died."

Miss Winstanley was unpacking suitcases upstairs following a family holiday last Wednesday evening and had left Caroline, Natasha and her three-year-old son Jordan Winstanley watching television.

Suddenly, Caroline noticed that Natasha was choking and turning blue.

She screamed for her mother and put her fingers in the little girl's mouth to see what the blockage was.

When she could not feel anything, the youngster started slapping Natasha on the back. A few seconds later, she spat up the dummy and started crying.

Miss Winstanley, who lives with her partner, truck driver Allan Dalton, aged 40, then took the toddler to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Miss Winstanley said: "Caroline deserves all the praise in the world. What other eight-year-old would have acted so quickly?

"She saved her little sister's life.

"I thought she must have learnt what to do at school but she said she saw it on the television.

"We have made sure she is aware of what she did and what the consequences could have been. We are so proud of her.

"I just want other parents to be aware of what could happen. You think dummies are too big to be swallowed, but obviously not.

"I don't know how it happened. When Natasha started to turn blue, Caroline put her fingers in her mouth but couldn't feel the dummy because it was too far down her throat.

"She just kept hitting her on the back until it came up.

"All the time, she was shouting to me saying Natasha was choking.

"By the time I had run down the stairs, she had the dummy in her hand."

Caroline, who attends St Paul's C of E School in Westleigh with her brother, said: "I saved Natasha. I love my sister and my brother."

HEROINE: Caroline Bleakley, right, aged eight, with the dummy that nearly killed her sister Natasha Winstanley, aged two

Picture by Nigel Taggart

What to do if your child is choking

DR Chris Moulton, a consultant at the Royal Bolton Hospital's accident and emergency unit, today issued advice to parents on what to do in a choking emergency.

He said: "First, they should check for breathing and open the air way. Give five hard blows between the shoulder blades then turn the child over, giving five hard thrusts on the chest. Check for breathing, then start again. If there is no response, keep trying and call for an ambulance.

"Time is of the essence.

"I would also advise parents to be aware of what children have got hold of and what they can put in their mouths. With young children, the most common cause of choking is swallowing bits of toys or things they have picked up off the carpet.

"With older children, it is food, mainly apples, so you should always make sure they are not running around while they are eating and are supervised."