Parents warned of potential choking hazards caused by Easter mini eggs

Popular chocolate treat mini eggs could cause choking hazards to children, Child Accident Prevention Trust said. The warning, which was released ahead of the Easter rush, said mini eggs 'are the perfect size' to block a small child's airway and choke them.

In a Facebook post, it said: "It’s that time of year again when mini eggs are lining the supermarket shelves. But, did you know that, just like grapes, they 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. With whole grapes we advise cutting them in half lengthways and ideally into quarters to create thin strips. But chopping up mini eggs isn’t as easy."

"So what can you do? 1. Hide them from the children and eat them yourself – good luck with that! 2. Put the mini eggs into a sealable plastic bag and smash them into small pieces with a rolling pin. Or, crush them in a pestle and mortar. 3. Opt for a different treat. Larger, hollow eggs are much safer for little ones."

In 2018, a post had gone viral on the forum Mumsadvice.co.uk about a mum who advised other parents about a deadly choking hazard caused by the mini eggs, one that tragically took away her child.

The mum wrote at the time: “It has been just short of three years since my precious little girl Sophie passed away she had choked on a mini egg and I was unable to dislodge it, even with back slaps and pushing up and under her ribs, I had done a first aid course only six months prior to this event so all the techniques to help a choking child were still fresh in my mind but it didn’t help.

“I watched the light slip away from my baby’s eyes, I tried in vain to save her. Sophie was five and a half so not a tiny tot yet this seemingly harmless treat took my angel away.“ She added: "If your children enjoy these chocolate treats please watch them extra close and remind them to sit down whilst eating them or avoid them altogether.”

How to stop a child from choking

Here is some advice from the NHS:

• If you can see the object, try to remove it. Don't poke blindly or repeatedly with your fingers. You could make things worse by pushing the object further in and making it harder to remove.
• If your child's coughing loudly, encourage them to carry on coughing to bring up what they're choking on and don't leave them.
• If your child's coughing isn't effective (it's silent or they can't breathe in properly), shout for help immediately and decide whether they're still conscious.
• If your child's still conscious, but they're either not coughing or their coughing isn't effective, use back blows.

As popular as mini eggs may be among youngsters, the chocolate treats are not suitable for children under four years old. A number of safety groups have over the years recommended parents supervise their children aged up to 10 years old when they eat them.