Paramedic issues urgent choking warning about the dangers of Mini Eggs for kids – and what to buy for Easter instead
A PARAMEDIC has issued an urgent warning to parents about the dangers of mini chocolate eggs for kids, and urged mums and dads not to buy them for Easter.
Nikki Jurcutz, who works as the CEO of the parenting organisation Tiny Hearts Education, has warned against the small eggs saying they're a choking hazard for little ones.
The small size and shape of the chocolates, which are similar to grapes, can cause them to get stuck in toddlers' airways.
The seal created by the smooth surface also makes them tricky to move - even with first aid.
Instead, Nikki, a retired mother-of-two from Queensland, Australia, suggests buying larger eggs which are hollow inside as these can easily break into small, flat pieces.
This means they are far less dangerous for kids, making them a better option at Easter.
How to stop a child from choking
Back blows -
- Lay a small child face down on your lap as you would a baby.
- If this isn't possible, support your child in a forward-leaning position and give 5 back blows from behind.
If back blows don't relieve the choking and your baby or child is still conscious, give chest thrusts to infants under 1 year or abdominal thrusts to children over 1 year.
This will create an artificial cough, increasing pressure in the chest and helping to dislodge the object.
Abdominal thrusts -
- Stand or kneel behind your child. Place your arms under the child's arms and around their upper abdomen.
- Clench your fist and place it between the navel and ribs.
- Grasp this hand with your other hand and pull sharply inwards and upwards.
- Repeat up to 5 times.
- Make sure you don't apply pressure to the lower ribcage, as this may cause damage.
If your child is less than a year old:
Back blows -
- Sit down and lay your baby face down along your thighs, supporting their head with your hand.
- Give up to 5 sharp back blows with the heel of 1 hand in the middle of the back between the shoulder blades.
Chest thrusts -
- Lay your baby face up along the length of your thighs.
- Find the breastbone and place 2 fingers in the middle.
- Give 5 sharp chest thrusts (pushes), compressing the chest by about a third.
If a choking child is, or becomes, unconscious, put them on a firm, flat surface, shout for help, call 999 and don't leave your child.
For more information on how to do CPR, or what to do if your child is choking, visit the.
"Up to 85 percent of choking deaths are caused by food and with Easter around the corner I want this to be at the forefront of your mind," Nikki wrote on the Instagram page
"Choking is silent, it happens quickly and knowing exactly what to do in a choking emergency is the difference between a scare and a life-changing moment."
In Australia, choking and suffocation made up 11 percent of deaths in kids under the age of eight last year, according to research from .
And in the UK, around 40 kids under five are rushed to hospital each day as a result of choking or swallowing something dangerous, according to a 2019 .
Tips on helping a choking child
- If you can see the object, try to remove it. Don't poke blindly or repeatedly with your fingers. You could make things worse by pushing the object further in and making it harder to remove.
- If your child's coughing loudly, encourage them to carry on coughing to bring up what they're choking on and don't leave them.
- If your child's coughing isn't effective (it's silent or they can't breathe in properly), shout for help immediately and decide whether they're still conscious.
- If your child's still conscious, but they're either not coughing or their coughing isn't effective, use back blows.
Source:
What's more, 14 children under the age of five died as a result of this in the four years prior to the study being taken.
Nikki also reminded her followers that little ones should be supervised while eating at all times.
Her warning has attracted thousands of likes since being uploaded just a few days ago, with many parents grateful for the tip.
Many admitted they never realised how dangerous mini eggs could be, with one saying: "This is not something I've ever thought about."
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