Paramedic mum-of-two reveals the one ‘massive’ choking hazard every parent needs to know

A paramedic and mother has shared a ‘little-known’ choking hazard to be mindful of after you’ve hosted a party, calling it something that is ‘easily missed’

Advanced life support paramedic and CEO of the Australian parenting organisation Tiny Hearts Education, Nikki Jurcutz, said choking is the number one thing she gets asked about by new parents.

In one of her latest TikTok videos Nikki pointed out how dangerous leftover balloon rubber is and how easily it can become trapped in your child’s throat.

‘I hosted a birthday party recently and I was cleaning up and found this part of a balloon… these are massive choking hazards and you need to be super careful around balloons,’ she said.

‘As you can imagine trying to do back blows to get this up when it’s stuck would be near impossible. So be super vigilant.’ 

While choking is dangerous and can be deadly, you can get on top of what to do and how to prevent it with a few simple rules.

1. The ‘squish test’

The first thing Nikki said you need to know about with choking is the ‘squish test’, which basically determines whether a finger food you’re about to give your child is safe.

To try the squish test for yourself, Nikki recommends you simply ‘pinch the food between your pointer fingers and thumb’.

‘This mimics the pressure of a toothless little one’s gums,’ Nikki said on the Tiny Hearts website.

‘If the food squishes easily, it means it’s safe and bub will be able to chew. 

‘If it doesn’t squish easily, you should cook, grate or mash it, so that it becomes soft enough to pass the test.’

Nikki demonstrated how the test works in reality, with common foods you might want to try with your baby, including avocado, cheese, boiled egg, apple and cucumber. 

While softer items like banana, egg and avocado mash easily to the touch, foods like apple and cucumber do not break down no matter how hard you press.

‘This is such great information for helping with solids,’ one person commented underneath Nikki’s video.

2. The ‘choke check hack’

The second hack Nikki swears by is the ‘choke check hack’, which is another good way to see if something is suitable for your child aged 0-3 to eat.

To try this, Nikki recommends you drop various items through a hole that you create with your index finger and thumb. 

The foods she drops down through the hole include a cherry, popcorn, a grape, a $1 coin and other toys. 

‘This is how I check to see if food or small items may potentially be a choking hazard for my bubs,’ Nikki wrote.

‘The circle is approximately the size of a child’s airway aged 0-3. If anything can fit in this hole, then it’s a choking hazard.’

3. The ‘consistency test’

Finally, the paramedic likes to use something often called the ‘consistency test’. 

Nikki said there are three food types that are more likely to cause choking than others: round, slippery and firm items. 

‘Think grapes, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, nuts, raw carrot, apple, popcorn, chewing gum, coins, marbles and batteries,’ she said.

‘The greater the roundness, firmness or slipperiness of an object, the greater the choking risk.’ 

To prevent a risk of choking, Nikki said you can modify foods by making items that are round less round and foods that are slippery less slippery.

For example, you could cut grapes into quarters or lengthways or roll slippery food like avocado in fine breadcrumbs and cook carrot to make it less firm.  

You should also always make sure your child is in a safe eating environment, so that they are seated safely and securely in a highchair within arm’s reach at all times.