Paediatrician’s warning to parents this Easter: “These can be deadly”

An Irish paediatrician has taken to TikTok to warn parents about a very common choking hazard that can happen around Easter. 

Dr Niamh Lynch, known on TikTok as @tiktokkiddydoc, says that although mini solid Easter eggs are a fun treat for kids, they’re also “rock hard and can completely block your child’s airways.”

Using a pen, she explains that a toddler’s airway is about 4mm in diameter – the same as the pen. And if you look at the size of a mini chocolate egg, “you will see that it is the perfect size and shape to completely block your child’s airway,” she says, blocking the hole of the pen with an egg. 

“These things are a major choking hazard,” she adds.

“We’re really careful with grapes and cherry tomatoes and we cut them up small, but these things are so cute and so delicious and we get so excited about them that we sometimes forget that they can be deadly.”

She added that eggs and lollies this size shouldn’t be given to children under 5.

@tiktokkiddydoc Mini eggs are a major choking hazard.@dr.free.hess #childhealth #doctorsoftiktok #parentsoftiktok #easter #candy #safety ♬ original sound – tiktokkiddydoc

But that doesn’t mean your kids have to miss out on all the chocolatey fun this Easter. 

In an Instagram post shared last year, Nikki, the founder of Tiny Hearts Education, urged parents to skip the tiny eggs and choose larger ones instead.  

“Many of the Easter eggs we see on the shelves are real choking hazards,” she wrote. “When purchasing please choose larger, hollow eggs broken into small pieces as they are less of a choking hazard.”

So yes, you can still fill your kids up on chocolate this year – just skip the tiny eggs.

Read 25 more common household choking hazards that may surprise you.