Paediatrician's DIY Experiment Shows Why It's Always A Bad Idea To Give Young Kids Ice Cubes
Many parents know to cut grapes and other round veggies like cherry tomatoes to reduce a child’s choking risk.
But have you ever considered the dangers of giving young children ice cubes?
With the UK’s weather remaining consistently balmy, a paediatrician has warned parents against giving their little ones ice cubes due to the danger from choking.
Dr Niamh Lynch said every year she shares the warning and every year people in the comments section “get cross” and say “don’t be silly, ice melts”.
Her experiment revealed otherwise...
Dr Lynch shared a simple experiment on Instagram to get across just how problematic ice cubes can be if they get stuck in a child’s windpipe.
Taking a tube the size of an adult’s airway and a large ice cube, she began to suck the ice cube and then popped it above the tube.
“If a child was choking and this was in their airway for 30 seconds, by now they’d be in real distress ... after one minute, a child who’s had complete occlusion is going to be unconscious,” she said.
“And the ice cube is still big enough to be completely occluding.”
After two minutes, the ice cube is small enough to let “a little bit of air through” in the tube, but the health expert said that’s “two full minutes your child’s brain has been without oxygen”.
Advice for parents
According to the Food Standards Agency, ice cubes shouldn’t be given to babies and young children (those under five years old).
In a separate video shared on Instagram, Casey, the social manager for CPR Kids, revealed her daughter choked on an ice cube a couple of years back.
In the social media post, published earlier this year, Casey shared how they were playing with a doll which required ice water to change colour.
They had a small bowl with ice cubes and water in and her daughter, then four, popped an ice cube in her mouth and tipped her head back. The slippery cube then became lodged in her throat.
“It was completely silent,” said the mum. “If I had not been there observing this as it took place, to my horror, I would have not known that it was happening at all.”
After five back blows, the ice cube thankfully became dislodged.
When she first shared her story, she said commenters also asked, “wouldn’t the ice just melt?”.
Casey continued: “Yes, eventually it would have. But in these situations acting quickly is crucial. Every second counts.”
If your child does choke on an ice cube, Dr Lynch advises starting choking first aid immediately. This means five back blows, followed by five abdominal thrusts.
According to the British Red Cross, you should call 999 if the blockage doesn’t dislodge and continue with cycles of back blows and abdominal thrusts.