Mum begs parents to NEVER let their toddlers eat the popular snack – after 15-month-old nearly choked
A Kansas mother of two has shared how her 15-month-old toddler almost died after eating a piece of popcorn at Disneyland.
Lakynn Dockers, then 27, gave in to her son Briar’s demands to get the treat after seeing his sister get one while they were lining up for a ride.
But when she went to take the popcorn from him, the little boy inhaled sharply to whimper – which sucked a popcorn down his throat.
He coughed to clear the blockage and started wheezing and a quick check by paramedics suggested he was fine. Later that night, however, the family rushed to the hospital after Briar woke up from a nap with “difficulty breathing” again.
Lakynn Dockers of Kansas had to rush her son Briar to the hospital (pictured) after a popcorn gave him labored breathing. He had to have surgery to remove pieces of popcorn from his lungs
Lakynn Dockers, then 27, pictured with her son Briar. The family was traveling to Disneyland in Southern California when the accident happened
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that young people under the age of four should not eat popcorn.
They warn that popcorn is a choking hazard for the age group and that the sharp edges of flakes can get stuck in children’s throats, causing gagging or choking.
Ms. Dockers said her son cried and coughed for about 15 minutes after clearing the popcorn, leading her to leave the line for the ride to find paramedics.
They ran checks and said he had good color and good blood oxygen levels, so the discomfort was due to the popcorn probably scratching his throat.
The family continued to enjoy Disneyland, only to discover later that night that when Briar awoke from a nap in the stroller, he was breathing “tired” again.
At that point, Ms. Dockers said she “went frantic” and took him to hospital.
Scans there soon revealed that there were still pieces of popcorn in both lungs, and doctors said to rush him for emergency surgery that he “might not survive.”
Ms Dockers said: ‘They prepared us that it was high risk, but it wasn’t until the surgeon came in to talk to us that we understood how high the risk was.
The surgeon made it clear that it was very likely that Briar would not survive his surgery because of his low oxygen levels and because he expected the popcorn to have expanded.
“He wanted us to realize how serious it was and that there was a good chance that Briar wouldn’t come back.
She added: “All we could do was cling to our baby and beg the doctors to bring him back to us safely. It was the worst 1.5 hours of our lives.’
Ms Dockers, who was also visiting Disneyland at the time with her 29-month-old Hadlee and husband Eastin, revealed the story to warn other parents not to make the same mistake.
Briar demanded some popcorn after seeing that his sister also had her first piece.
“We’ll share with you what our surgeon shared with us,” she said.
“With kids in these cases, many of them are brain dead before they even get to him.
“DO NOT give nuts, popcorn, grapes, or raisins to children under the age of four.”
At the time of the December 2021 accident, she launched a fundraiser to help cover medical expenses — raising $12,175 of the $10,000 goal.
Briar is pictured above in hospital. He initially cleared the blockage from his throat. But scans later revealed that pieces of popcorn were still lodged in his lungs
Choking on items such as popcorn, gum and hot dogs is one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of four, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Every year about 160 children in this age group die from suffocation, suggest estimates.
Young children are at a higher risk of choking because they are still learning how to chew properly.
They are also more likely to swallow things whole and put things in their mouths that can easily block their smaller airways.