If your a parent you know that it's not an easy job. It's very fulfilling, enjoyable but it has it's ups and downs as well. We try to make the best decisions possible for our kids but sometimes we learn as we go. My husband and I learned a big one a few night's ago. Until what happened I thought my father-in-law was narcotic but now I can totally agree why he would never allow my husband and sister-in-law to have hard candy when they were kids. When he was younger he saw his sister choke on hard candy and it scared him so in turn he wouldn't allow his kids to have it. As a parent you think it will never happen to you well I was foolish because it can.
Our family enjoyed the day at our local fair, it's a big deal in our county. There are rides, animals, vendors and so on. On our way out we stopped by one of the vendor tables and loaded up on all the free goodies. One of them being a few hard pieces of individually wrapped candies. (I rarely allow my kids to have hard candy). I unwrapped each piece and handed a piece to all 4 of my children.
All of a sudden my daughter who I was pushing in the stroller started crying and screaming that her peppermint candy was stuck in her throat. Then before I could do anything she started throwing up. So I stood her out of the stroller where she threw up a few more times. Thankfully an employee at the fair helped by bringing us a garbage can where she could continue to throw up instead of the nice carpet, some bottled water and paper towels. Then I looked over at my son who was licking his candy and before I could get over the the other stroller to grab it from him he threw it in his mouth and swallowed it whole! Then he started crying and pointing to his throat and then he too threw up a tiny bit. For the next 15 minutes they both cried and then were completely fine, thank God!
As parents we are not given a handbook, and maybe it was common sense not to give them hard candy but what I do know is that we will not allow our children to have hard candy until they are older. I think what if, what if they choked or couldn't breathe? I am so thankful that it was mild but what if it wasn't?
I share this with you because after having 4 children, soon 5 I have been more relaxed. With my 1st child followed all the guidelines for certain foods to be eaten at certain ages. It can happen and it can happen fast. There are so many choking hazards out there: small toys, foods, etc. Here are some great tips and things to avoid for smaller children. If you allow your younger children hard candy, popcorn, grapes, peanuts or smaller items please re-consider because these can be a choking hazard, it's pretty scary!
That is so scary! I never give my kids hard candy for this reason. Sorry you had to experience this but glad she is okay!
ReplyDeleteWhoa. That is so scary! Glad they are both ok.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a scary story Nicole! Incidents like that can happen so fast. Thanks for the reminder that it is important to be on our toes with our children at all times.
ReplyDeleteWhat a scary experience! I'm sorry you both had to go through that but thank God she is ok!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds completely horrifying. I could not even imagine. So glad that your little ones are okay.
ReplyDeletePraise God nothing happened!!! Glad they are fine:)
ReplyDeleteChoking is so scary! I had a similar experience but with fruit snacks. Fruit snacks were a common snack in our house mostly because they were quick, easy, and portable. But when my youngest was 10 months old and crawling, my 2 year old dropped one on the floor (I didn't know.) The baby started crawling around the couch and I went the other way to get there just in time to see her pop it in her mouth. The sound of her gasping for air was horrible! I had to do a version of the baby heimlich and she was able to bring it up and start throwing up. One of the scariest moments of my life! I have never bought fruit snacks again.
ReplyDeleteThat is scary! glad she is doing ok. We have a no hard candy policy now but it is because I'm curbing my sugar addiction.
ReplyDeleteThat is awful. So glad they are ok. Just a reminder that kids always do the unexpected and keep us on our toes!
ReplyDeleteawww scary :( thanks for sharing this with us
ReplyDeleteI am SO thankful that your kids are okay!! That is so scary and can happen at any age. Thanks for the reminder of safety, even when it seems so simple.
ReplyDeleteHow scary! Glad your kids are ok. Sometimes it's good to be a little neurotic :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is so scary. I am so glad they are both okay.
ReplyDeleteThat is scary!! Thanks for sharing...no more hard candy for my grandkids either!!
ReplyDeleteNicole, thank you so much for sharing this post, I'm sure this has happened to A LOT of other mothers but no one wants to admit it outloud. The Lord is truly merciful.
ReplyDeleteThis is the same reason why my boys won't have hard candy just yet! So scary!
ReplyDeleteWe do tend to become more relax. Thanks for the reminder. That is so scary, I am so glad to hear they are OK.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this very scary experience. I had something similar happen with my first daughter, only it was with her breakfast. The food dislodged by the time I threw her tray to the floor, but it was very scary. My second daughter has a slightly more sensitive gag reflex. I cut up everything in our home.
I am so glad that the result turned out better than it could have for your children. I am so sorry, though, that you had to go through the experience. It is very scary to see our children go through something like this, especially you being pregnant. Bless your heart!
Karina
This has not happened to my kids, but I remember this happening to my brother when he was younger and a trip to the ER!
ReplyDeleteSo glad they are ok! I choked one time on a root beer barrel at my grandparent's house and when I ran to the bathroom because I was choking, they pounded my back. Out it came, but ever since I'm VERY careful. My general rule with my kids is if you are going to have a piece of candy, you must sit down until it's gone. Crazy but it works and keeps them close to me until it's gone. As a CPR instructor, I can not emphasize enough the importance of knowing the basics of choking and how handle the situation. God is certainly very good!
ReplyDeleteJanelleS
www.parsnipsandparsimony.com
So glad your babies are fine now, and I know how scary it is. My then mother in law gave my now 10 year old candy when she was about a year old. Needless to say after I got the candy dislodged from her throat and a trip to the ER to make sure she didn't hurt her esophogus which is recommended we had a long chat about no candy for the kids. They may have chewy candy to her heart's content :D
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience when i was younger, about 12. I had a sourball candy in my mouth and my brother was being mean to me and elbowed me hard in the side which caused me to choke on the candy. My parents did the heimlich but didnt work, i ended up drinking a couple glasses of hot water until it melted. so this also applies to any age! I am relieved your kids are okay, is definitely a scary situation.
ReplyDeleteOH my goodness! I'm so glad they're ok. That must have been such a terrifying experience. Thanks for sharing your lesson with us so we don't have to go through that too.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about 3 I choked on a Life Saver. You might think, but it has a hole, so you won't die, but it was still horrible and since at that time no one knew the heimlich so they just beat on my shoulders and shook me upside down....yep...shook me. So, once I had kids I was super-vigilant about choking risks. I know the heimlich and cpr. I have given my kids lessons on it and how to even self-heimlich with a chair. Up until they were 6 I cut all their food into tiny pieces and still cut the 2 younger kids food, just not tiny. They could not have hard or overly chewy candy until they were 5 or 6. Finally, I have a 14, 12 and 8 year old and they are forbidden to eat anything while I am not at home because I am paranoid they will choke. If they are really hungry they are allowed to have jello, pudding or applesauce, but that is it. To this day, I won't have jolly ranchers in my house because those suckers just love to slide down your throat whole!
ReplyDeleteWhat a horrible and scary experience! I hope you never have to go through something like that again. When I first started having babies back in '84, I read then about the dangers of hard candy. We still don't bring hard candy into the house unless we are going to grind it up and cook with it.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is so scary - I can't even imagine! I am so glad they're okay!
ReplyDelete