Mum shares ‘massive’ choking hazard all parents should know
One mum has warned other parents to keep an eye out for one unsuspecting but seriously dangerous choking hazard in the home.
Nikki Jurcutz (@tinyheartseducation), who is a life support paramedic and CEO of parents' education site Tiny Hearts, took to TikTok to alert her followers after noticing the hazard in her own home.
Holding it up for her viewers to get a good look, Nikki explained that she had been cleaning up from her son's birthday party when she spotted it.
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She said: "It was my son's birthday recently and I was just cleaning up and I found this... This is part of a balloon."
Holding up the small rubber piece of a popped balloon, she continued: "These are massive choking hazards and you need to be super careful around balloons. As you can imagine, trying to do back blows to get this up when it's stuck would be near impossible."
Pointing out how easily a small piece of rubber like that could get stuck in a child's airwaves, she concluded: "Be super vigilant around balloons with little ones."
Nikki offers further details on choking hazards to look out for, as well as an entire baby first aid course through her company Tiny Hearts Education.
On the website, she writes: "Anything that goes in your little one's mouth can be a choking hazard, but we know the most common hazards are round, firm or slippery; think grapes, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, nuts, raw carrot, apple, popcorn chewing gums, coins, marbles, batteries and the list goes on.
"The greater the roundness, firmness or slipperiness of an object, the greater the choking risk."
For parents with young children, Nikki has provided some top tips to reduce the risk of choking.
Firstly, she suggests modifying the child's food by making "food that is firm, less firm," making "foods that are round, less round," and making "foods that are slippery, less slippery".
Secondly, the 'squish test'. This involves taking a piece of food and pinching it between your pointer finger and thumb, which mimics the pressure of a toddler's gums.
If it squishes easily between your fingers, it's safe for them to chew. If not, it should be mashed, cooked, or grated until it's soft enough to pass the test.
And finally, keeping an eye on a little one while they're eating, and making sure they have a safe eating environment is a must.
She writes: "Your child should be seated and secured in a highchair, you should be within arms reach of your child at all times and have your eyes on your child while eating."
To learn more choking prevention tips and other baby first aid advice, you can head to Nikki's website Tiny Hearts Education.
Ali Condon