Experts issue severe warning to parents this Easter over Mini Eggs

8 March 2024, 12:42

By Alice Dear

@According2Al

Easter is a magical time for children as they get to snack on chocolate eggs, but there is one treat out there which experts are warning parents to be careful with.

Experts have issued a warning to parents this Easter over giving their children Mini Eggs.

Yes, the sweet treats by Cadbury's are delicious and one of the favourite in supermarkets around this time of year, but they are also a choking hazard to children.

Similar size to a grape, Mini Eggs' packaging states that they should not be consumed or given to children under four-years-old, with a spokesperson from Mondelēz International saying that "the safety of consumers is of the upmost importance."

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As Easter rolls around again this year, The Child Accident Prevention Trust has posted a warning on social media to parents.

“They [Mini Eggs] are the perfect size to block a small child’s airway and choke them, and their hard shell can make it difficult to dislodge with standard first aid techniques," they wrote.

They went on to state that while grapes should be cut lengthways or into quarters for children, Mini Eggs aren't as simple to break up.

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They recommend putting the eggs into a sealed bag and smashing them with a rolling pin in order to break them up and make them safer for children to eat.

The NHS offer some advice of what to do it the worst was the happen and a child started choking.

They say that if you can see the object that is causing the child to choke that you should try to remove it, however, it is very important to not poke blindly or repeatedly with your fingers as you could push the object further in, making it harder to remove.

If the child is coughing loudly, you should encourage them to continue coughing in order to bring up the object which is stuck. However, if the cough is not effective and/or is silent, they might not be able to breath, which is when you need to shout for help.

At this point, if the child is still conscious but they are not coughing (or the cough isn't effective) you should use back blows.

There are different techniques to giving back blows depending on the age of the child, you can find intrusions for these on the NHS website here.

It is important to know, however, that if a child with choking becomes unconscious you should put them on a firm, flat surface and shout for help. You must also call 999 who will instruct you to stay with the child, remove the object from the throat if possible and potentially start performing CPR.

You can also find out more information on how to resuscitate a child here.