Easter Egg Warning for the Grandkids!
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For most adults, Easter is simply a time to enjoy the long weekend and the two public holidays – Good Friday and Easter Monday.
For many young children, however, nothing says Easter like going to the park or backyard just to search for chocolate eggs lovingly hidden by the Easter Bunny.
Aside from enjoying hot cross buns for breakfast on Easter Sunday morning, it has been a tradition for many Aussie families to have the kids hunt around their homes or gardens to see who can find the most eggs.
Easter eggs are made from chocolate and come in many egg shapes and sizes, from tiny little ones to giant ones almost the size of a toddler's head. Some chocolate eggs are also in the shape of cheeky looking bunnies or other animals.
And while it's fun to watch the grandkids go out and about with their own Easter shenanigans, are you aware that these seemingly innocent activities can also cause them great harm?
One mum warned fellow parents and grandparents about the dangers of letting young children hunt for eggs without proper adult supervision.
Easter eggs that are small and hard may be dangerous to young children. Credit: Instagram.
In a video posted on Instagram, Australian paramedic Nikki advised her followers to avoid giving young children mini solid eggs this Easter.
"They are round and hard, which are two big risk factors for choking," she wrote in her caption.
The mum-of-two runs Tiny Hearts Education, a parent-education company that specialises in simple first aid and care for the little ones. On their official Instagram page, she warned parents and grandparents to watch the chocolates the kids would be getting this Easter.
Nikki recommends buying bigger Easter eggs instead. Usually, these eggs are hollow and are much safer for kids who shovel chocolate into their mouths like there’s no tomorrow.
You can also opt for other alternatives such as Easter books, slippers, and pyjamas, but then again, that wouldn’t be an egg hunt now, would it?
Several parents and grandparents, especially those who are celebrating the upcoming holidays with their family, thanked Nikki for her valuable advice.
"I literally never thought of this! Thanks so much for the awareness," wrote one mum.
A grandma also commented, saying: "Thank you for helping us keep our loved ones safe," along with a red heart emoji.
Meanwhile, there are also some who joked that this advice means the small eggs are theirs for the taking. "I won’t mind if nobody gives the boys the small solid ones, because it means I get to eat them instead!" said one mum.
Choking is a life-threatening situation. That is why it's important to know the basic first aid for choking, as this can save the life of a choking person if applied correctly and immediately.
According to Better Health, the first thing to do when you encounter a choking person is to encourage them to breathe and cough. If coughing does not remove the blockage:
- Call triple zero (000).
- Bend the person well forward and give five back blows with the heel of your hand between their shoulder blades – checking if the blockage has been removed after each blow.
- If unsuccessful, give five chest thrusts by placing one hand in the middle of their back for support and the heel of the other hand on the lower part of their breastbone – checking if the blockage has been removed after each thrust.
And if you are the one choking:
- Try to stay calm. Attract someone’s attention for help.
- Attempt forceful coughing. Lean as far forward as you can. Hold onto something that is firmly anchored, if possible. Breathe out and then take a deep breath in and cough. This may eject the foreign object.
- Don’t let anyone slap you on the back while you are upright. Gravity may cause the object to slip further down your trachea (windpipe).
Credit: FirstAidDVD.