Common Choking Hazards in Toddlers | Safety Tips for Parents

Choking Hazards in Toddlers You Need to Be Aware Of

• Sticky Foods

Stick foods like nut butter, gooey candies, caramel, cheese strings, chewing gums, and marshmallows can get stuck in the throat, as they are sticky in texture and cannot pass down the throat easily.

• Hard Foods

Hard foods like popcorn, vegetable sticks, hard candies, etc., can increase the risk of choking in kids. Their small mouths, narrow airways, and underdeveloped swallowing coordination can lead to these hard foods getting stuck in their throats.

• Small Toys

Small toy parts, such as doll accessories, toy car screws, broken bits of toys, or softballs that can be squeezed entirely into the mouth, pose a choking threat for babies and toddlers. In other words, any toy or toy part less than 4.4 cm in diameter must be kept out of your child's reach.

• Balloons

Balloons, a common play item for kids, can cause choking. As balloons are flexible and stretchy in texture, they can easily conform to your child's throat, cutting off the airflow. Uninflated balloons, latex balloons, broken balloons, and extremely smooth-textured ones are the most hazardous.

• Small Objects

Small objects like buttons, marbles, erasers, and coins are some of the most common choking hazards for babies and toddlers. As their airways are quite narrow, these small objects may easily get lodged, blocking the free passage of air. The result is choking!

• Magnets or batteries

Magnets or batteries are two of the most dangerous items that must be kept out of the reach of small children. The shiny appearance and attractive shapes of these objects attract toddlers who easily put them into their mouths. Even if they manage to swallow these items, batteries can cause severe internal burns, while magnets can cause life-threatening internal injuries in babies and toddlers.