A mum is urging parents to ban lollipops from their home this Halloween after her daughter nearly choked to death on a 35p Dip Dab.
Natasha Middleton gave the sweet to seven-year-old Maisie Brackley as a reward for her good results at school earlier this month.
But moments after placing the lolly in her mouth, the strawberry-flavored circle fell off the stick and got stuck at the back of the girl’s throat.
Despite desperate attempts to remove the lolly, it remained trapped and Maisie began to turn blue before becoming limp and lifeless.
Fortunately, a last-ditch effort of a series of “massive strikes” behind her shoulder blades proved successful, although the paddle remains trapped inside Maisie.
Moments after Maisie Brackley put the lolly in her mouth, the strawberry-flavored circle fell off the stick and got stuck at the back of her throat in a life-threatening ordeal.
Middleton has now banned lollipops from her home and is urging other parents to do the same and not hand them out to young trick-or-treaters this Halloween.
The graphic designer, who lives in Evesham, Worcestershire, said: ’35p almost killed my daughter. It scares me that it could happen to anyone.’
Recalling the terrifying experience, the 27-year-old said: “I picked her up from school, she had an amazing morning and we went to the local shops and bought what she always buys, a Dip Dab lolly.
‘We came home and unpacked the purchases. I gave him the Dip Dab and he had it in his mouth for less than two minutes.
‘Suddenly the red top of the Dip Dab came off the stick and lodged at the back of his throat.
‘I saw my daughter turn blue. I was seeing his eyes looking at me and saying, “Mom, help.”
It was at this moment that her daughter became limp and Mrs Middleton called 999 while her partner tried to remove the polo from Maisie by doing the Heimlich manoeuvre.
This life-saving technique, which involves pushing forcefully under a person’s abdomen to dislodge an object trapped in the airway, was unsuccessful on this occasion.
Her mother Natasha Middleton is now urging parents to ban lollipops from their home this Halloween after her daughter nearly choked to death on the 35p sweet.
Middleton said instead that a series of blows between Maisie’s shoulders managed to clear her airways, although the Dip Dab itself did not appear.
”Then (we gave him) five strong blows between the shoulder blades. At that point she was still not breathing, so they asked us if we knew where our nearest defibrillator was. Fortunately it wasn’t necessary,” he said.
Maisie was still rushed to hospital as a precaution, but tests revealed that, apart from the extensive bruising she received during attempts to save her life, she escaped unharmed.
However, he will need further testing to ensure that the Dip Dab, which was still stuck in his throat but not blocking his airway, dissolves and does not cause an infection.
Mrs. Middleton: “It’s still in his body, we can’t get it out.” It’s in your body, so you’ll have to get past it at some point. There is a risk of infection.
‘For four hours afterwards he could still feel it and you could see the lump in his throat.
Valeo Confectionary, Barratt’s parent company that makes the Dip Dab lolly, declined to comment.
In the Heimlich maneuver, the rescuer places his or her arms around the choking person from behind and pulls up and in on the abdomen under the rib cage.
‘Even though he was at the point where he could breathe, you could still see this in his throat. You could see it every time he coughed. You could see it rising.
‘Fortunately we can’t see it anymore and she says she doesn’t feel anything in her throat.
“She’s in a lot of pain right now, so we have to go back and have to do an x-ray and an MRI.”
These scans will ensure that none of your bones have been broken as a result of the force used during desperate attempts to manually dislodge the candy.
Middleton said she felt tremendously guilty about what Maisie had gone through and is urging other parents to think twice before giving lollipops to their children.
‘It’s the most heartbreaking and unpleasant experience I’ve ever gone through and it’s terrifying. “It’s literally like being in a nightmare at that very moment,” he said.
‘It scares me that you can go to the supermarket and buy a packet of sweets for about 99 pence with about 15 pence inside, which are a little bigger and more delicate to take off the stick.
‘It gives me chills but it also makes me angry that its sale is allowed.
‘It’s making me much more aware as a father. I’m seeing things like “that’s too big.” I will be like this for the rest of your life. That gift almost cost my daughter her life.
Maisie was rushed to hospital as a precaution, but tests revealed that apart from the extensive bruising she received during attempts to save her life, she emerged unharmed.
Ms Middleton urges parents and Britons in general to be especially vigilant next Halloween and the sweets handed out to children when trick-or-treating.
She urges parents and Britons in general to be particularly vigilant next Halloween and the sweets being handed out to trick-or-treaters.
‘People will give these candies as gifts during Halloween. “You can’t stop that at the end of the day,” he said.
“You can’t help that at the end of the day, but keep an eye on the candy you hand out, especially to little kids.”
‘My advice to parents is to always check what’s in your pumpkin bag or what you’re carrying. Please watch and be careful with the candy you are giving to the children.
‘Never allow a child to start eating sweets while you are away from home. Wait until you get home and check out those sweets.
“If you don’t feel comfortable with those sweets and have second thoughts, throw them away.”
Ms. Middleton also recommended always monitoring children when they eat sweets and for parents to learn child first aid.
‘Luckily I was sitting next to her. “If he was in his room, he would have died,” he said.
‘We wouldn’t have heard her and we would have found her dead. That horrifies and scares me.
‘Luckily we have been on a pediatric first aid course because we now have a baby. Many parents have not provided basic first aid.’
‘That’s the message I want to convey: please don’t think this will never happen to you. We were one of these people.
Valeo Confectionary, Barratt’s parent company that makes the Dip Dab lolly, commonly known as Dib Dab, declined to comment.