Doctor's warning over small Halloween sweets that can 'stop kids from breathing'
Halloween can be dangerous for your little ones as many sweets and small chocolates can be a choking hazard for a young child. Experts from a paediatrics office have been reviewing sweets to determine whether they're actually a treat or a fatal trick.
Elizabeth Donner, M.D., a paediatric hospitalist at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando and a member of the medical advisory board, examined common Halloween candy for potential choking dangers. Dr Elizabeth determined that 15 (or 60 per cent) of the 25 choices she examined posed a choking threat.
“Choking hazards are incredibly common when you start to look at Halloween candies,” Dr Elizabeth said. “You basically want to avoid anything round, chewy, or gummy if your child is three or younger. Candies that fit these criteria are more likely to cause a choking incident in young kids and should be avoided entirely.”
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Dr Elizabeth said children under three have a greater risk of choking on candy (Getty Images)Although you can still give your child Halloween sweets, she suggests giving them larger treats like chocolate bars, biscuits, or cupcakes that melt in their mouth. It's crucial to keep a tight eye on kids and to make sure they eat while seated.
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If you have children under the age of four, you should exercise extra caution because they are more prone to choke on something. (It's also advised to refrain from offering any foods with added sugar, including sweets, to infants and toddlers under the age of two.) An other reason for concern, according to the medical expert, is that young children can and do put non-food items in their mouths. "You'll also want to watch out for candy wrappers, stickers, bouncy balls, small toys, and temporary tattoos," she says.
“Parents should be aware of these choking hazards ahead of time so that they can be on the lookout for potential dangers and prevent accidents from occurring." She goes on to say that in order to help your child in need, it's also critical to recognize the symptoms of choking.
“Gagging is when a child opens their mouth and pushes their tongue outward to prevent an object from ‘going down the wrong tube,’ so to speak,” Dr Elizabeth explained. “They may turn bright red and make sputtering or retching noises. Gagging is the body's way of protecting the airway from choking. Let it happen naturally – there’s no need for intervention at this point.”
Choking events are more common than you might imagine; every five days, at least one child passes away due to a food choking incident. Therefore, it's a good idea to enrol in a CPR rescue manoeuvre and child-specific choking course so you may be prepared to act in a situation.
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