What's the choking hazard size?
When it comes to picking toys for your baby or toddler, it can be hard to know what's safe and what isn't. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, accidental threats to breathing, such as suffocation or choking, makeup 11 percent of deaths under the age of eight, so it's important to consider choking hazards around the home and that includes the toys you buy for your child.
A paediatrician and mother, Dr. Orajiaka, shared on her TikTok account a simple test all parents should do before they hand their child anything to play with.
Choking Hazard Size: Measuring Using The Toilet Roll Test
Safety first. | Image source: TikTok / @dr_norajiaka
Dr. Orajiaka recommends the toilet roll test for any item you are giving to a child under the age of three, as this is the age most likely to mouth toys and be at risk of choking.
The doctor demonstrates by holding larger toys at the top of the toilet toll and showing that those that don't fit down, are also unlikely to get stuck in your child's windpipe and restrict their breathing. Smaller items like toy bricks drown through the tube easily and mean they are unsuitable for younger children.
This method not only works for toys, but for food too, and parents should avoid giving babies things like grapes and cherries without chopping them safely into quarters that won't block their airways.
Stay alert
Nikki from Tiny Hearts Education shows various items are of choking hazard size. | Image source: Instagram / @tinyheartseducation
If you don't have a toilet roll handy, Tiny Hearts in Australia did a similar test by making a circle with your thumb and index finger and seeing what can fit through, but they hasten to add that this is just a guide and parents should be supervising babies and toddlers during play.
"It is designed to show you how easily an object should get stuck in an airway and block it," Tiny Hearts founder Nikki said in the video she shared on the subject.
"Take the grape, for example, if not in quarters the full grape could completely block the airway. It helps create awareness of certain objects that match this hole's size and may be a choking hazard.”
“It helps you to see that there are A LOT of things that can fit, which means there are a lot of potential hazards around.
“This will help you when making buying decisions for toys and even with preparing food for your bub.”
Top fruits/vegetables which could be of choking hazards size for 6-12-month-olds
- Cooked or raw whole corn kernels
- Uncut cherries / berries
- Whole pieces of canned fruit
- Uncut melon balls
- Uncooked dry fruit such as raisins
This article was first published in KidSpot and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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