Young kids put pretty much anything in their mouths, which is why choking is a leading cause of death in children under four years old. But how can you tell if your kid’s toy is a choking hazard? A pediatrician in Ohio has a simple way to find out if something is a risk. In a now-viral TikTok video, Dr. Nkeiruka Orajiaka shows her easy hack that uses a toilet paper roll to check if a toy is too small for kids under three.
You simply try to drop the item into the tube and “anything that passes through the tube means it can go into their mouth and they can swallow it,” the doctor explains. But she warns that it’s not fool-proof and caregivers need to watch out for toys with batteries or that have small pieces that can come off.
Orajiaka’s technique is an alternate version of a test created by the Consumer Produce Safety Commission that uses a cylinder that represents the size of a toddler’s throat. She says a toilet paper tube is just slightly bigger than the cylinder they use. In addition to her choking hazard video, the doctor posts other videos on TikTok that could be helpful for parents covering everything from warning signs a kid is being bullied to why bubble baths aren’t recommended for little girls.
Source: Today