A NANNY has revealed the five party foods she would never give to children under the age of six.
So with Halloween fast approaching and Christmas just over three months away, if you want to keep your little darlings safe, you’ve come to the right place.
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Danielle Anne Manton-Kelly, a qualified teacher, mum-of-four, and parenting practitioner from the UK, has acknowledged the popular snacks she avoids giving to young children.
The nanny, who is known online as ‘TikTok’s Mary Poppins,’ also shone a light on the “really dangerous” food that’s a “massive no-no” in her books.
Posting on social media, Danielle, who posts online under the username ‘The Enchanted Nanny’, got candid on the five choking hazards parents should avoid, leaving many gobsmacked.
Popcorn
Firstly, Danielle explained why she would never give children under the age of six popcorn.
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The content creator, who provides advice and runs children’s sessions in Bournemouth, stressed: “Popcorn is light as a feather, which means that if you were to have some in your mouth and sharply inhale, which children tend to do because they tend to be running around or moving or laughing, that’s gonna go down into the airway and it then cannot get out.”
Danielle explained that many “people don’t realise” but popcorn is “a massive choking hazard.”
She also recommended that if you do give popcorn to a child above the age of six, you should “make sure that they are sitting down” and are “not distracted” whilst eating it.
The mother then recognised that popcorn is “not worth the risk” as she acknowledged that not only can kernels “get caught” in the back of a child’s throat, but “the irritation can cause a swelling that can risk blocking the airway.”
Marshmallows
As well as this, Danielle also forbids her children from having marshmallows.
She described big marshmallows as “very sticky” and added: “If they get lodged in the airway they’re not going to move – it’s gonna be extremely difficult to get that out because they’re light and they’re sticky and they are the size of an airway.”
Grapes
Not only this, but Danielle also warned why grapes should be best avoided.
Danielle recognised that the popular fruit “doesn’t dissolve” and “doesn’t break down.”
As a result, she revealed: “I always cut my grapes in half and then half again lengthways and that is because a grape is the absolute perfect size of a child’s airway, even an adult’s airway.”
Cocktail sausages
And that’s not all, as the qualified nanny then acknowledged why cocktail sausages shouldn’t be given to young children and are a “massive no-no” in her books.
She confessed to sounding “like such a party pooper” as she warned: “All of these are things that tend to be served at children’s parties, but they are really dangerous – they’re in a skin and that can go for other bits of meat as well, because meat doesn’t tend to break down so well – it can get compacted in their cheeks and then it becomes a kind of hardened ball, so just be careful with that.”
What to do if someone is choking
Mild choking
If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe, and may be able to clear the blockage themselves.
In adults:
- Encourage them to keep coughing
- Ask them to try to spit out the object
- Don’t put your fingers in their mouth
- If coughing doesn’t work, start back blows
In children:
- If you can see the object, try to remove it (but don’t poke blindly)
- Encouraging coughing
- Shout for help if coughing isn’t effective or the child is silent
- Use back blows if the child is still conscious but not coughing
Severe choking
In adults:
Where choking is severe, the person won’t be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe.
Without help, they’ll eventually become unconscious, so you should carry out back blows.
In children:
Back blows can be carried out on children under one year.
If this doesn’t work, chest thrusts can be started on kids up to 12 months old, and abdominal thrusts on those over one year.
Call 999 if the blockage doesn’t come out after trying back blows and either chest or abdominal thrusts.
Keep trying this cycle until help arrives.
Even if the object has come out, get medical help. Part of the object might have been left behind, or the patient might have been hurt by the procedure.
Source: NHS
Lollipops
Finally, Danielle revealed the sweet treat she avoids “like the plague.”
She concluded: “Normal spherical shaped lollipops I don’t give my children at all – they’re that sphere shape, they’re not gonna break down, they can come off of the lollipop stick.”
Social media users react
Danielle’s TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @enchantednanny, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 143,000 views, 4,894 likes and 124 comments in just two days.
Social media users were thankful for Danielle’s advice and many raced to the comments to express this.
Wow I didn’t know about popcorn – not that I have done it but didn’t have a clue!
TikTok user
One mother gasped: “I didn’t realise cocktail sausages were dangerous! My little boy (15 months loves them!). I normally quarter them lengthways and he’s luckily been fine.”
A second chimed in: “Great info. Every time I take my toddler to birthday parties, the table is full of choking hazards that none of the children there are old enough for.”
Whilst someone else admitted: “Wow I didn’t know about popcorn – not that I have done it but didn’t have a clue!”
What is the NHS’ advice for helping children stay a healthy weight?
THE NHS has tonnes of advice on their website about helping children stay a healthy weight.
They say parents should:
- encourage your children to do some kind of activity every day. It can be a good idea to find something they like doing, such as sports or playground activities, and encouraging that
- try to give them a healthy, balanced diet that includes fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, protein and dairy
- use rewards like stickers for when your children reach their activity or food goals
- make yourself their role model by staying active and eating healthily
- help them get enough sleep. By enforcing a regular bedtime routine, and removing technology from their bedrooms, you are helping them stay healthy too
Meanwhile, other mums agreed with Danielle and shared the foods they don’t give to their children.
One person said: “Lollipops are my number one. So dangerous and so readily given out to small children!! I don’t let my kids have them at all.”
Another added: “I didn’t give my kids popcorn for years. They think I’m a villain.”
A third commented: “Don’t forget about slush puppies at kids parties.”
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