Parents are warned not to give young children marshmallows after a shocking video shows how easily they can choke.
Ex-paramedic Nikki Jurcutz has explained how children under the age of four should not be given the candy.
She now runs the child safety page Tiny Hearts Education and posted the clip to Instagram to show how the gooey treats can easily get stuck in a young person’s throat.
The footage shows a plastic tube used to demonstrate a trachea.
The Australian ex-paramedic uses her Instagram account to teach parents about child safety
Marshmallows are round and large enough to cover a child’s entire trachea, the safety guru said
Because they are so ‘sticky’ when eaten, this means marshmallows are a serious choking hazard if stuck
Ms. Jurcutz, from Australia, uses a grape to first set down the tube, which can then be easily detached with a few blows of her hand – this is to simulate performing the Heimlich maneuver.
But when she uses the marshmallow, it immediately sticks and doesn’t move even when she hits the tube a few times harder than with the grape.
She said, “This is why marshmallows are such a risky food to choke on and why I don’t give them to children under four.”
‘Because of their round shape, they can completely block the entire airway.
“When they’re wet, they become sticky and harder to swallow, and harder to clear from the airways.”
But there are several modifications people can make to marshmallows to make them safer.
For example, parents can cut them into smaller pieces or use mini marshmallows instead.
People reacted with shock and surprise to the advice and many did not realize how dangerous the candy can be.
Abbey.piner said, “I witnessed a child (not mine) choke on a marshmallow and I will never forget the terror on his face because he couldn’t breathe.
“Luckily it went away with backstrokes, but they’re a big no-no for me!”
A_peachy_life said: ‘I witnessed this first hand when a mother turned her back on her toddler eating one and it went downhill very quickly.
‘Had to act quickly. He was fine.’
Katerous said, ‘I didn’t know this. Austin wasn’t allowed sugar anyway until he was 2.5 years old lol (doubt dad will make it that far haha).
But bonus, he hated marshmallows. Soon no popcorn or marshmallows for little Addy.’
But aussie_mamma_bear said, “It’s funny how times have changed. I have had 6 children, the youngest of which is now 12.
“We never had to cut fruit like grapes or give marshmallows.”
Nikki Jurcutz has previously warned that most children are too gentle when trying to save their children’s lives from suffocation.
Many people commented on the video saying how shocked and surprised they were at how dangerous the candies are
Nikki Jurcutz has previously warned that most children are too soft when they try to save their children
Parents often ask her about first aid for choking and confess that they are afraid of hurting or bruising their babies if they hit them on the back.
But the healthcare professional says you can’t reasonably hit them on the back ‘too hard’ and that violence will actually save their lives.
“If you’re about to use back blows, it means your child isn’t getting oxygen to the lungs,” she said.
The nurse also urged parents to familiarize themselves with choking first aid and the proper way to give back blows.
When a child is choking, some people mistakenly use three fingers instead of the heel of their hand in an upward direction.
Every second that the object remains inside is another second without oxygen for your child.
Tiny Hearts also introduced the principle of “life above limbs” which stated that saving your child’s life takes priority over a bruised back.
“Bruises can heal, a baby without oxygen for four minutes can’t,” the nurse said.