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The thought of your little one choking is absolutely terrifying, but it can happen more easily than you think. Nikki Jurcutz, who runs Tiny Hearts Education with her sister Rachel Waia, recently revealed all the different choking hazards around the home. And many may come as a surprise.
Nikki and Rachel started Tiny Hearts Education eight years ago with the aim of helping parents and caregivers learn about childhood hazards and first aid.
“As a paramedic, I would often be called to jobs where, had parents been confident with simple first aid, the outcome could have been very different,” Nikki says on the website. “Kids could have been treated at home by their parents or, even more devastatingly, lives could have been saved.”
Recently Nikki took to Instagram to list the many choking hazards you might not expect, captioning the post with “SEND to someone you love and above all, LEARN first aid for babies and children”. Reading through the list there are definitely some surprises in store, which is probably why the post received nearly 9,000 likes.
The first item on the list is marshmallows, which is definitely unexpected as they’re so soft, you can’t imagine them posing a problem. However, Nikki says they should be avoided until at least 3 years of age. “These sticky treats are a huge choking risk, which is tricky because they’re often served with babycinos,” she wrote.
Lollipops are also a no-no until 3 years, and popcorn should be avoided until 5 years of age.
Grapes, cherry tomatoes and large blueberries should all be cut up for little mouths. “Grapes are the perfect size to bock an airway,” wrote Nikki. “Chop them into quarters or halve for older kids.” Similarly, care needs to be taken with chunks of meat like sausages and watermelon, which should all be cut up into tiny pieces.
As well as food items, Nikki has included household objects such as those white plastic bread clips, which can sometimes be within easy reach of little hands. Also coins, button batteries, magnets, hair clips, Lego and jewellery, to name but a few.
One item I hadn’t considered was a power point cap, something usually used to baby proof the house. It may be protecting your child from electricity, but it could also be adding yet another huge choking risk.
Recently, one mum had a massive shock when her daughter, Brianna managed to swallow a trolley token. The 11-month-old started gasping for air and vomiting, and mum Kristen knew something was wrong. X-rays by hospital staff revealed that an Aldi shopping token was lodged in her throat. Fortunately the round disc had a tiny hole in it, which allowed some airflow. “She would have been able to get a little bit of oxygen in but it would have been a lot worse,” the mum told Channel 9. “All they had to do was put the tweezers down, grab the top of it and literally pull it out so yeah, very lucky.”
Tiny Hearts Education recommend that parents and caregivers do a first aid course so they know what do should something like this occur. “It can be the difference between life and death,” Rachel commented in an interview with Channel 9. “Knowing what to do in those initial moments for an emergency is critical.”
Kristen has now band all objects according to Tiny Hearts Education guidelines from the house, and has done a refresher first aid course. “It takes the stress of you when you know just the basic,” she commented. “The basic helps you so much.”
Below are objects on the Tiny Hearts Education list of choking hazards:
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