I’m an ex paramedic – five foods you shouldn’t give kids under five including a popular treat… they’re choking hazards

AN EX-PARAMEDIC has issued a stark warning about five foods she never recommends feeding children under five.

Nikki Jurcutz, a parent educator with Tiny Hearts, urged parents to never feed their young children some popular sweet treats because they can pose serious choking hazards.

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In a clip shared to TikTok (@littleheartseducation), she begins: “As a former healthcare worker, these are foods I would not feed my children under 5 years old.”

First on the list are popular sweets including Skittles and lollipops.

In a previous video, the former paramedic explained: “Sweets are the cause of nearly 30% of food-related choking cases in children under 14 years old.

“What makes sweets such a high choking risk food?

“The round candies are the perfect shape to create an effective stopper to block a child’s airway.

“When hard sweets are put in the mouth, they can become slippery and can “slip” into a child’s airway if not careful.”

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“Lollipops are essentially hard candies mounted on a stick,” she added.

“They are round and slippery, and if they come off the stick, they can put your child at risk of choking.”

Nikki went on to say that parents should also never give their children under the age of 5 popcorn, nuts, or gum.

And last but not least, she also warns that marshmallows can be a choking hazard.

In a previous video, she explains: “When they are wet, they become stickier and harder to swallow.

“And it may be harder to remove from the airway.

“You can modify marshmallows to be safer by cutting them into smaller pieces or swapping them out for mini marshmallows.

“Modifying foods is a great way to make food safer for your child.”

Next to the post, she wrote: “During my time as a paramedic, I had to take on more choking cases than I would have liked.

“Many of these people are children no older than 3 or 4 years old.

“Not all foods are the same.

“Some foods due to their shape, texture and size pose a higher risk of choking + choking than others, which is why…”

Nikki added: “This is on the list of foods that I would not feed my children until they are over 5 years old, when they have all their teeth and are capable of chewing and swallowing these foods.”