I Am An Idiot

At least one child dies from choking every five days in the U.S., and tonight, my toddler came dangerously close to joining that statistic.We had just finished playing at the park and eating some ice cream. I went into a nearby store to look around while my wife watched our almost 2 year daughter. They were playing in the pedestrian promenade area, where my daughter found 2 pennies. My wife and daughter joined me in the store and my wife said “oh she found 2 pennies and put them in her mouth” I replied “oh boy.. that’s a choking hazard. Just watch her carefully” My rational was- she hardly eats her food most days, she’s not going to eat these pennies. She’ll probably just spit them out in a few seconds like she has in the past. Fast forward a couple minutes and she has accidentally swallowed these coins. She is gagging and drooling. I grab her, take her outside, and lean her over, patting her back. After a minute, she coughs and vomits them out. We are incredibly lucky that the situation was quickly and safely resolved. Tonight was one of the scariest moments of my life. It makes me literally sick to my stomach to think that I could be sitting in the morgue right now, grieving the loss of my daughter, instead of laying next to her peacefully sleeping like she is now.The coins could have very easily gone down her trachea and blocked her airway, resulting in brain damage or death. They could have become lodged in her esophagus, requiring an ER visit and surgery. All because of an incredibly stupid and lazy momentary decision. I should have been a parent and said “no, that is dangerous, spit it out now”. I’m a NURSE for fuck sakes, I should have known better.In the blink of an eye, a day can turn tragic. Don’t be fucking stupid like I was. If it’s on the list of common choking hazards (listed in first comment) keep it the HELL away from your children, especially 5 and under. You can’t just “watch them closely” to prevent choking.TLDR: 22 month old put 2 pennies in her mouth. I decided to just “watch her” rather than make her spit them out. Few minutes later, she swallowed them and was in medical distress. I performed back blows and she vomited them up. Choking is fucking terrifying. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Nd3n3Y