Photo from Laura Deena Halls/Facebook
Legos, those toy building blocks we couldn't get enough of, are a good investment that can help a child's development tremendously. It grows with your child without diminishing the quality of play to kids of any age. Child experts have always emphasized the importance of engaging with kids, and these bricks are a sure winner in that area. Both the young and young-at-heart love Legos, because what you can build with these blocks are only limited by one's imagination and creativity.That said, one must remember that the brand Lego is primarily for older kids because unsupervised play could pose a choking hazard to very small kids who may not understand yet that these little colorful bricks should not be put in one's mouth. It does have a junior version called Duplo, a bigger version of the bricks, for younger kids.
But sometimes, no matter how careful you are, accidents can happen.
Oxford, U.K.’s Laura Deena Halls and her eight-year-old son Keane had an unfortunate experience with Lego recently. A piece got accidentally lodged onto Keane's throat when he attempted to separate two pieces of Lego using his teeth, resulting to a serious incident that warranted an ambulance trip to the nearest hospital.
With Keane still wheezing, an x-ray revealed that the Lego piece had traveled down to his wind pipe and had lodged itself in the tube of his right lung. It was a tiny piece -- not the typical brick -- that had a small hole in it. Still, Keane needed surgery to remove it, as it was causing his lungs to swell.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW"Doctors said as it was in the lung, air could get in 'by that tiny life-saving hole' but struggled to get out," she wrote in her Facebook post. Thankfully, the eight-year-old is okay and recovering well from the surgery.
Photo from thesun.co.uk "Please parents and carers, reiterate to your kids the dangers of Lego or in fact any small toy in their mouths, please I wouldn't want anyone to go through this #HolesInEveryLEGO," she told HuffPost UK Parents. Laura stressed that she doesn't blame Lego for what happened. She thinks, though, that every Lego piece should have that tiny hole for that life-saving purpose in case a child ingests a brick accidentally.
Two days after Laura posted the incident on Facebook, the Danish company replied via a comment asking her to email them about it. Lego also sent a statement: "We naturally deeply regret the very unfortunate and unpleasant experience of both the parents and child in the specific case, and we are happy to hear they are doing fine despite the experience."
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowLego boxes have warning signs if the set includes parts that may pose a choking hazard. Like Laura's plea, the toy company stresses that kids should not put Lego bricks in their mouth. Many sets include a brick-separator, or the small tool that enables kids to separate pieces safely if they're having difficulty using their hands.
Incidents like these are the reason why it's important for parents to know how to administer first-aid on kids. If a child is choking, administer the Heimlich maneuver or give the child abdominal thrusts. Click here for more information on first aid on kids.
Sources:
January 22, 2016. "Mum Issues Warning To Parents About Danger Of LEGO Bricks, Urges Manufacturers To Make ‪#HolesInEveryLego"
(huffingtonpost.co.uk)
Undated. “Miracle as boy choking on Lego is saved by tiny hole in toy brick”
(thesun.co.uk)
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